Recently, there has been a surge of new movies hitting the big screen, leaving many wondering which ones are truly worth the money.

Wicked is a new movie musical based on the popular book and Broadway show. Serving as a prequel to the well-known novel, The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, Wicked tells the story of Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch during their time at Shiz University. The film explores their backstories and the reasons behind their contrasting paths.

Wicked stars Cynthia Ervio and Ariana Grande, who have an undeniable talent for acting and singing. They seemed to have truly embodied their characters in this process. Their voices blend seamlessly together, and many were shocked to find out that they chose to sing live on set instead of using prerecorded soundtracks.

The music and choreography are fantastic, and the set design is extraordinary because it seemed as if it were truly the magical land of Oz.

Despite all the evident work and effort put into this film, it can feel underwhelming in some ways. The story itself was interesting, but it became a bore considering this movies approaches three hours in length. With such a long duration, every scene needs to captivate and maintain the audience’s attention.

Nowadays, people’s attention spans are shorter, and it was a major surprise to learn that this was only part one of the story. The Broadway show managed to tell the entire story in the same amount of time as part one of this movie.

Overall, for a filmmaker or film student, Wicked is a top tier movie due to its music, set design, and acting. For the average person who wants to watch a fun, engaging film, however, it might not be the best choice.