2025 will close with a fantasy gift. At least for musical fans: Wicked, the first part of the cinema adaptation of the famous Broadway play, opens in cinemas in numerous countries this week – German fans of Elphaba and Glinda will have to wait a few more weeks. Millions of fans had to worry in advance: How good is the film? You can be completely reassured if the tenor of the reviews is anything to go by.
Fantasy film of the year: This is what the reviews say about Wicked
Wicked appears on the aggregator sites Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic an impressive 91% and 73 points. Many reviews are absolutely enthusiastic. The Playlist, for example, speaks of a “triumph“, which will please fans of the original, but also develops many new ideas. According to Total Film, the performances of the leading actresses Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo will delight fans “let float“.
The Hollywood Reporter is too thrilled by the two stars, to whom he “effortless spontaneity” attested. The Times calls Erivo “superb“, Empire speaks to the duo”the real magic“, which compliments director Jon M. Chu with strong colors and plenty of spectacle.
Diego Peralta from DiscussingFilm also writes that he entered the cinema with low expectations, but the film impressed him with its power made me cry several times have.
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Many Wicked reviews share one flaw
But Peralta already hints at a weakness in his criticism, which many of his colleagues also take up: the film is too long and feels “inflated“. Similar attitudes can also be found at Rolling Stone and the BBC. “The film is loooong“, writes Slashfilm. Wicked has a running time of 160 minutes.
Nevertheless, the first Wicked film seems to be a great cinematic experience for the vast majority of viewers. This not only makes for a nice fantasy gift at the end of the year, but also provides an effective starting signal: During Wicked Part 1 in this country in cinemas from December 12th, Wicked Part 2 will tell the rest of the musical story from November 20, 2025.