As 2024 came to a close, the movie “Wicked” left its mark as one of the hit movies of the year. Before the movie came out, it was heavily marketed to reach people of all ages and demographics. The movie was highly praised on social media, with many influencers discussing how they liked it. However, after people saw the movie, some did not think it deserved the hype surrounding the release.  

“I have listened to the “Wicked” soundtrack for 20 years and I was incredibly excited they were making it into a movie,” Ms. Lasko said. 

The movie was released on Nov. 22 2024, after weeks of advertising, promotions, and collaborations with other companies. Many brands such as Starbucks, Crocs, Gap and Casetify partnered with the “Wicked” team to create products to promote the movie and their brand. With the collaborations and promotions on various social media platforms, many people expected the movie to be groundbreaking. The extensive length of the movie did not make up for the lack of plot. Most of the information was background knowledge that could have been summarized in an hour. 

“I thought there was not really a plot to the entire movie and it was very predictable,” Erica Young (12) said. 

There were also numerous repetitive scenes about the character Elphaba not being liked because she is green. Glinda’s attitude is exaggerated throughout the movie longer than necessary. While she is the enemy turned friend, during most of the movie, she is pegged as selfish and rude. They could have been friends much sooner, progressing the plot much faster.

 It was only in the last few minutes that the plot truly picked up to be exciting; however, the movie ended at the climax of the story. The movie ends while Elphaba tries to escape Oz after stealing the spell book. This leaves viewers wanting to see what comes next but they are forced to wait for the next movie to be released. 

“I think they drew it out a lot and it was not even finished,” Stella Haney (10) said. 

There will be a second movie called “Wicked: For Good” set to come out Nov. 21. “Wicked: For Good” will pick up where the first movie left off, and go into more detail about the characters and the story. 

While the plot was not of “Wicked’s” strengths, the songs certainly made up for it. The movie featured many hit songs, such as “Defying Gravity” and “Popular” performed by Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande. These songs sparked social media trends, as people tried to sing Defying Gravity on karaoke. Additionally, people attempted to sing the highest notes featured in the movie’s music or replicate the dialogue for “Popular.”

The movie had things that could have been improved, but there were redeemable elements, such as the music. There were definitely parts that could have been shortened or cut out entirely to make the length more manageable. The plot also could have progressed much quicker so the movie did not have to end at the climax. For the hype that “Wicked” received, it did not live up to the expectations.