So this came out on Home Media a few weeks ago, but we finally got the family to sit down and watch it this weekend. For those not familiar, it is a prequel to Wizard of Oz, and sets up the world a bit differently than the story that we know. It reminds me of Maleficent in that way. Here is the trailer:
www.bing.com
My spoiler free review is that it is a great musical, but I don't see why it was split up as the story just gets going and feel like half a film rather than a part of a story. I loved the cameo appearances by the original Broadway cast. Getting to show my kids what Elsa really looks like was cool. I would rank this film a strong 3 out of 5, simply because the story isn't there, but the music, especially Popular and Defying Gravity, make up for the film's short comings. It's a good film for the family.
Spoiler review:
The have already finished shooting for the sequel, as they shot both films at once, and the second part, called Wicked: For Good comes out on November 21, 2025.
Wicked - Search Videos
My spoiler free review is that it is a great musical, but I don't see why it was split up as the story just gets going and feel like half a film rather than a part of a story. I loved the cameo appearances by the original Broadway cast. Getting to show my kids what Elsa really looks like was cool. I would rank this film a strong 3 out of 5, simply because the story isn't there, but the music, especially Popular and Defying Gravity, make up for the film's short comings. It's a good film for the family.
Spoiler review:
We start off right after the end of Wizard of Oz. The good witch, played by Ariana Grande (who does an amazing job in the film) has come down to Munchkin land to let everyone know that the wicked witch of the west (WWOTW) is dead. There is a great party, and they burn the witch in effigy. Someone asks her as she is leaving that they were friends once, which triggers the flashback that is the film. We start off to see that the WWOTW is from Munchkin land, her mother is married to the governor, and while away she drinks this green liquor and has an affair with an unknown man that is only in town for one more day. Well, 9 months later, out comes the baby and everyone is appalled and disgusted that she is green. The governor is telling the staff to take the baby away, but that triggers her magic and sends everything crashing into the ceiling. She is raised by her nanny. and has one sister that is in a wheel chair. (We find out later that the dad made the mom eat milkwood flowers to prevent the second child from being green, which forced early child birth and killed the mother).
I should note that a lot of the staff are animals. They are intelligent and speak clear English. It seems that the animals in this world are very intelligent, which I guess explains how the lion could talk in the original Oz film.
Flash forward a few times and the younger sister who is the golden child of the family is being sent to a prestigious boarding school called Shiz. Of course, WWOTW comes along with her as well as her father to see her off there. There is a witch there, played by Michelle Yeoh, and she talks about the rarity of magic in their world and tells the good witch that she doesn't teach magic to just anyone, and doesn't think much of her at all. Some over reaching staff member tries to baby WWOTW's little sister which causes WWOTW's magic powers to activate and fling benches into the air and stack into a pile, as well as levitating her sister away from the staff. Michelle Yeoh (Mic YO) sees this, and takes the credit as to not spoke the children of WWOTW anymore than they already are. Mic Yo gets WWOTW admitted to the school as her kind of talent is once in a lifetime, and puts her as a roommate with the future good witch (FGW) as all the rooms have been assigned. WWOTW is excited about this as she thinks that this will get her to the Wizard who will turn her from green to a normal color.
Lots of drama and back and forth goes on at the school with the girls hating each other and just clashing over everything. FGW knows that WWOTW has magic powers and FGW wants to major in sorcery but Mic Yo won't let her. One of the teachers at the school, who is a goat voiced by Peter Dinklage, is on of the few people that WWOTW gets along with at the school. She follows him out one night to a secret animal meeting where they are discussing the fact that someone is out for the animals. The animals are losing their ability to speech or are going missing. She gets caught eaves dropping and then sent back to the school where along the way she runs into the prince and his talking horse. The prince is played by one of the Bridgerton sons if you have watched that show. The prince tries to charm her but fails, and then shows up at the school the next day as the newest student. FGW is head over heels for him and manages to seduce the prince. The prince is a typical nothing matters, live in the moment kind of person, and throws a dance party on his first night there. FGW has a student from Munchkin Land that is head over heels for her, while WWOTW's sister (WWOTE) is in love with. FGW convinces Munchkin Land Boy to invite WWOTE to the dance, as a favor to FGW. He does and WWOTE is extremely happy, and lets WWOTW know about the dance and her date, and that FGW set it up. WWOTW loves her sister more than anything in the world, so WWOTW convinces Mic Yo to teach FGW magic. Before FGW finds this out, she give WWOTW her iconic black hat that FGW's grandmother made as FGW and her friends find the hat hideous. WWOTW shows up to the dance, wearing the hat, and does this weird interpretive style dance. FGW's heart is breaking as WWOTW has just got her the thing that she wanted the most in her life that she couldn't get on her own, so despite the pleas of her friends, she joins WWOTW on the dance floor and does the weird dance with her. Eventually the entire crowd starts dancing with them.
From that point on they are all friends. FGW teaches WWOTW how to be popular, and WWOTW works on controlling her magic. One day in class, her goat teacher is seized and drug away and a new teacher shows up with a baby tiger cub in a cage. Gives a good far right speech about the evil animals. And WWOTW gets so mad that she casts a sleeping spell that knocks everyone but her and the prince out. They get the cub and go take it to freedom. They almost make out in the woods, but WWOTW doesn't want to do that with her friend's boyfriend. Mic Yo is so impressed by the sleeping spell that she sends word to the wizard and a train shows up to take the WWOTW to Emerald City. Mic Yo does some magic and sends the rain clouds away, as they mentioned not wanting her to get wet. The way every one is reacting, I am wondering if all of them are susceptible to water like the WWOTW is. WWOTW convinces FGW to come with her to the Emerald City. WWOTE sees her boyfriend pining over FGW at the train station and leaves in a huff.
They get to the city, and its a magical place with the Broadway cast showing up to tell about the backstory of Oz. Long ago they had magic, but they all died out, and no one could read the magic book anymore. The wizard showed up and could read it, and fulfilled the prophecy. They get to wizard and see he has a monkey royal guard (No wings yet) and that he uses the big giant head for most people, but then when WWOTW tells him her name, out pops the wizard played by Jeff Goldblum. He does a very similar dance to the one that WWOTW did, which makes me believe that he is her biological father, but the story doesn't touch on that. He offers to turn her into a different color, but she chooses instead for him to protect the animals from this persecution. Mic Yo shows up and they show WWOTW the magic book, the Grimrere. Mic Yo can only read a few words of it, but of course WWOTW can read it like a cookbook and the book itself responds to her. The wizard says that his monkey guard captain always wanted to fly and was jealous of the birds, so WWOTW uses the book to give him wings. This of course is a very painful process, and WWOTW wants to stop it, but is told that she can't stop or reverse a Grimrere spell.
The wizard lets it slip that he wants to use the flying monkey as spies, and that its him that is persecuting the animals, as he is using them to rally the people behind a common enemy. Also, the Wizard, can'tactually read the grimrere or do any magic. WWOTW takes the Grimwere and flees. FGW is sent to get her back, and the wizard and MIc Yo turn the city and the flying monkeys after her. Eventually WWOTW and FGW are trapped in a tower that basically the wizard is using like an attic with his old stuff. FGW gives WWOTW a cloak that she finds in there. and WWOTW tries the spell again to give her wings, but instead a broom comes flying over to her. Guards bust in, size FGW, and WWOTW jumps off the tower with the broom. Reconnects to her childhood self on the way down, seemingly unlocking her magic. She then flies up, avoiding the flying monkeys, and attacks the guards. This is where the song Defying gravity kicks in, and it hit pretty hard here. Afterward, WWOTW flies off on her broomstick, Mic Yo give FGW a hug, and that is the end of the film.
Seriously, it's all just setup for the next film, which will probably feel like half of a film in itself. That is major downside of this film is that instead of one epic three and a half hour musical we will get two good films. I think that the whole animal plot could have been done better, and we could have focused more on that. I almost feel like this story could have been a great miniseries rather than two films.
I should note that a lot of the staff are animals. They are intelligent and speak clear English. It seems that the animals in this world are very intelligent, which I guess explains how the lion could talk in the original Oz film.
Flash forward a few times and the younger sister who is the golden child of the family is being sent to a prestigious boarding school called Shiz. Of course, WWOTW comes along with her as well as her father to see her off there. There is a witch there, played by Michelle Yeoh, and she talks about the rarity of magic in their world and tells the good witch that she doesn't teach magic to just anyone, and doesn't think much of her at all. Some over reaching staff member tries to baby WWOTW's little sister which causes WWOTW's magic powers to activate and fling benches into the air and stack into a pile, as well as levitating her sister away from the staff. Michelle Yeoh (Mic YO) sees this, and takes the credit as to not spoke the children of WWOTW anymore than they already are. Mic Yo gets WWOTW admitted to the school as her kind of talent is once in a lifetime, and puts her as a roommate with the future good witch (FGW) as all the rooms have been assigned. WWOTW is excited about this as she thinks that this will get her to the Wizard who will turn her from green to a normal color.
Lots of drama and back and forth goes on at the school with the girls hating each other and just clashing over everything. FGW knows that WWOTW has magic powers and FGW wants to major in sorcery but Mic Yo won't let her. One of the teachers at the school, who is a goat voiced by Peter Dinklage, is on of the few people that WWOTW gets along with at the school. She follows him out one night to a secret animal meeting where they are discussing the fact that someone is out for the animals. The animals are losing their ability to speech or are going missing. She gets caught eaves dropping and then sent back to the school where along the way she runs into the prince and his talking horse. The prince is played by one of the Bridgerton sons if you have watched that show. The prince tries to charm her but fails, and then shows up at the school the next day as the newest student. FGW is head over heels for him and manages to seduce the prince. The prince is a typical nothing matters, live in the moment kind of person, and throws a dance party on his first night there. FGW has a student from Munchkin Land that is head over heels for her, while WWOTW's sister (WWOTE) is in love with. FGW convinces Munchkin Land Boy to invite WWOTE to the dance, as a favor to FGW. He does and WWOTE is extremely happy, and lets WWOTW know about the dance and her date, and that FGW set it up. WWOTW loves her sister more than anything in the world, so WWOTW convinces Mic Yo to teach FGW magic. Before FGW finds this out, she give WWOTW her iconic black hat that FGW's grandmother made as FGW and her friends find the hat hideous. WWOTW shows up to the dance, wearing the hat, and does this weird interpretive style dance. FGW's heart is breaking as WWOTW has just got her the thing that she wanted the most in her life that she couldn't get on her own, so despite the pleas of her friends, she joins WWOTW on the dance floor and does the weird dance with her. Eventually the entire crowd starts dancing with them.
From that point on they are all friends. FGW teaches WWOTW how to be popular, and WWOTW works on controlling her magic. One day in class, her goat teacher is seized and drug away and a new teacher shows up with a baby tiger cub in a cage. Gives a good far right speech about the evil animals. And WWOTW gets so mad that she casts a sleeping spell that knocks everyone but her and the prince out. They get the cub and go take it to freedom. They almost make out in the woods, but WWOTW doesn't want to do that with her friend's boyfriend. Mic Yo is so impressed by the sleeping spell that she sends word to the wizard and a train shows up to take the WWOTW to Emerald City. Mic Yo does some magic and sends the rain clouds away, as they mentioned not wanting her to get wet. The way every one is reacting, I am wondering if all of them are susceptible to water like the WWOTW is. WWOTW convinces FGW to come with her to the Emerald City. WWOTE sees her boyfriend pining over FGW at the train station and leaves in a huff.
They get to the city, and its a magical place with the Broadway cast showing up to tell about the backstory of Oz. Long ago they had magic, but they all died out, and no one could read the magic book anymore. The wizard showed up and could read it, and fulfilled the prophecy. They get to wizard and see he has a monkey royal guard (No wings yet) and that he uses the big giant head for most people, but then when WWOTW tells him her name, out pops the wizard played by Jeff Goldblum. He does a very similar dance to the one that WWOTW did, which makes me believe that he is her biological father, but the story doesn't touch on that. He offers to turn her into a different color, but she chooses instead for him to protect the animals from this persecution. Mic Yo shows up and they show WWOTW the magic book, the Grimrere. Mic Yo can only read a few words of it, but of course WWOTW can read it like a cookbook and the book itself responds to her. The wizard says that his monkey guard captain always wanted to fly and was jealous of the birds, so WWOTW uses the book to give him wings. This of course is a very painful process, and WWOTW wants to stop it, but is told that she can't stop or reverse a Grimrere spell.
The wizard lets it slip that he wants to use the flying monkey as spies, and that its him that is persecuting the animals, as he is using them to rally the people behind a common enemy. Also, the Wizard, can'tactually read the grimrere or do any magic. WWOTW takes the Grimwere and flees. FGW is sent to get her back, and the wizard and MIc Yo turn the city and the flying monkeys after her. Eventually WWOTW and FGW are trapped in a tower that basically the wizard is using like an attic with his old stuff. FGW gives WWOTW a cloak that she finds in there. and WWOTW tries the spell again to give her wings, but instead a broom comes flying over to her. Guards bust in, size FGW, and WWOTW jumps off the tower with the broom. Reconnects to her childhood self on the way down, seemingly unlocking her magic. She then flies up, avoiding the flying monkeys, and attacks the guards. This is where the song Defying gravity kicks in, and it hit pretty hard here. Afterward, WWOTW flies off on her broomstick, Mic Yo give FGW a hug, and that is the end of the film.
Seriously, it's all just setup for the next film, which will probably feel like half of a film in itself. That is major downside of this film is that instead of one epic three and a half hour musical we will get two good films. I think that the whole animal plot could have been done better, and we could have focused more on that. I almost feel like this story could have been a great miniseries rather than two films.
The have already finished shooting for the sequel, as they shot both films at once, and the second part, called Wicked: For Good comes out on November 21, 2025.
His attitude, we find out later on, isn't fully genuine as he does care. That being said, it is a great sequence and song but ultimately if we want to focus on the plot, it needs to be cut. Just have Galinda convince the guy to ask out WWOTE to the dance celebrating the Prince's arrival so WWOTW gets Galinda a wand and they can be friends.
