LOS ALAMITOS, Calif. — Released on Nov. 22, 2024, “Wicked” premiered the first part of a two-part series in theaters to a frenzy of excited fans and high expectations. Clad in either pink or green to represent the signature colors of the main characters Glinda and Elphaba, movie-goers flocked to their nearest theater in hopes of seeing the iconic Broadway musical on the big screen.

The 2024 film follows a lengthy history as the two-part film adaptation has been developed from the hit Broadway musical, which is a prequel to the classic 1929 film “The Wizard of Oz.”

In short, the movie centered around the past friendship between the Wicked Witch of the West and the Good Witch of the North and their journey throughout their years at the University of Shiz. Directed by “Crazy Rich Asians” director, Jon M. Chu, the film featured an ensemble cast with acclaimed actors such as Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Johnathon Bailey, Michelle Yeoh and Jeff Goldblum.

The acting in the movie-musical “Wicked” was consistently stellar with only a few minor hiccups. Despite worries from fans on social media prior to the movie’s release, Grande, who played Galinda/Glinda in the film, delivered a true to the original performance and even added in several ad libs that went viral (see “RIGHT” trend).

Erivo on the other hand was heartbreaking in songs like “I’m not that girl” and “Defying Gravity,” but demonstrated her emotional range in more upbeat, snarky songs like “Loathing” and “The Wizard and I.”

“Driven by knockout performances from Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, John M Chu’s impossibly slick charm assault of an adaptation zip along so enjoyably that you almost wish it were longer (your bladder may disagree),” said The Guardian.

Yeoh, who played Madame Morrible, was a little subpar in her singing (I mean, who can compare to Grande?), but, overall, her acting performance as Madame Morrible was dynamically terrifying. 

“Everything (Yeoh) touches is gold as far as cinema. She can basically do it all,” said one Facebook user. 

Bailey was a fan favorite for his cocky, hilarious performance as Fiyero, Elphaba and Galinda’s love interest. Bailey took on several fun stunts during his solo song “Dancing through Life,” including a flip which he revealed, in an interview to Today, that he practiced while filming on set for the Netflix show Bridgerton.

The soundtrack contains 11 songs composed by acclaimed lyricist Stephen Schwartz with vocals from the main and supporting cast. 

It seems to be an understatement that the soundtrack for Wicked has done justice to the original as songs such as “Defying Gravity,” “What is This Feeling,” “Dancing Through Life” and “No One Mourns the Wicked” have been on repeat in my playlist ever since I saw it in theaters. 

Lauded as a Tony and Grammy winning actress, Erivo’s impressive musical background through her experience in featured roles through Broadway reveals her impressive ability to transform the character into her own. Her stunning soprano voice makes every single song incredibly soothing and satisfying to listen to in part to her rich tone and ability to project legendary high notes, such as the one in “Defying Gravity.”

Speaking on behalf of Grande’s long and complex musical career as a top charting pop star, her voice has been considered one of the best voices in 21st century pop music. It is obvious within the first 20 minutes of the musical that Grande’s sweet and bubbly tone compliments the power and skill of Erivo.  

There were many great songs that we loved but one miss that we found was Grande’s rendition of “Popular,” which I found was fine, meh, okay. We didn’t find the star of the song to be the lyrics or the vocals but the performance and movement throughout the number.

Marissa Bode, who played Elphaba’s sister Nessarose, has received some negative backlash online against her character, prompting her to speak out in a TikTok video on Nov. 30.

In the video, the actress said that while it was completely acceptable to criticize or dislike a fictional character for their actions or personality, she found jokes about Nessarose “deserving” her disability or “wanting to push her out of her wheelchair” to be ignorant and offensive. 

“One of the major themes within ‘Wicked’ is having the ability to listen and to understand one another, and I truly hope that is something a lot of you can practice more and take with you,” Bode said.

Fans also expressed dissatisfaction with some of the merchandise sold on behalf of the movie’s premiere. Mattel, in a scandalous mistake, released a misprinted box label for their set of “Wicked” fashion dolls that accidentally directed purchasers to a porn site and not the movie’s official website. 

“We deeply regret this unfortunate error and are taking immediate action to remedy this,” the company stated in a statement to USA TODAY. “Parents are advised that the misprinted, incorrect website is not appropriate for children.”

All in all, this movie adaptation of “Wicked” stood out for its passionate, catchy music and fabulously fun yet moving performances from its leads.