I’m sort of stunned by how divided folks are on this. I’ve seen takes that range from Wicked being a modern masterpiece to it being an attack on democracy. Those are both pretty crazy takes. This is your typical high-polish, low-effort Hollywood event, and I don’t understand the passion of either side.
My wife and I saw Wicked the musical when it was in Toronto, something like a million years ago. We didn’t like it much then. It’s big on dazzle and low on brain cells. Completely soulless, but yet a mildly entertaining diversion.
That’s pretty much the movie too. But dazzle is Hollywood’s specialty, and low brain cell amusement is what the studios do best. (And it’s hard to blame Hollywood for this soulless CGI soup when this story has always been soulless and lacking in humanity, even when it pretends to have so much heart.) So it’s hard to be mad about this, and in my opinion, the dazzle works better on screen than it does on stage.
Perfectly slight Friday night entertainment.