Now that a significant portion of the world has had the chance to experience Wicked at least once, it's time for me to voice my concerns. Like many, I initially fell in love with the movie. But as a critic, I feel compelled to analyze and critique.

Uncovering the Hidden Truths within Wicked's Friendship Dynamics

Original Stage Production vs. Screen Version

I was a critic of the original stage production too. Back then, I was a teenage theatre enthusiast, obsessed with The Wizard of Oz. I even did a school report on the book, delving into its allegorical meaning of silver demonetization. And on my eighteenth birthday, I attended the pre-Broadway run of Wicked in San Francisco with Idina and Kristin. While I admired the performances, I wasn't a big fan of the show itself. The New York Times described it as "lopsided," and the relationship between the leads as "ambivalent." Variety pointed out the musical had a "cumbersome plot," Elphaba's character lacked definition, and the love triangle was trite. However, as time has passed, Wicked has continued to thrive despite these initial bad reviews.Even though the 21-year-old show has its flaws, such as a confusing plot, underdeveloped characters, and an unclear political message, director Jon M. Chu and his team have managed to capture its heart on the screen. But by botching the timeline in the same way as the stage show, the movie fails to develop the relationship between the main characters, leaving much to interpretation.

Dramaturgical Flaws and Friendship Dynamics

For Wicked to make sense, we need to feel the strength of the friendship between Elphaba and Glinda. Their friendship leads to the conflict that arises between them: Elphaba wants to do good, while Glinda wants to appear good. Plus, Elphaba steals Glinda's man. In a classic example of telling rather than showing, the two witches repeatedly tell us they are best friends ("Elphie, now that we’re friends…” “Two good friends, two BEST friends"). But in reality, their friendship is only a few days old when the love triangle conflict begins.For instance, Fiyero arrives on his talking horse and meets Elphaba in the woods. This is a change from the stage show and is similar to his meet/hate in Bridgerton. Fiyero then arrives at Shiz and makes a date with Glinda for the Ozdust. They dance through life to the Ozdust, where Boq spots them making out. Elphaba is humiliated but continues to dance. Glinda then ditches Fiyero to be with her new girlfriend-I-mean-roommate/bff. The two women stay up all night doing a makeover.The next morning, Elphaba tosses her hair outside the classroom, and Fiyero says, "You’ve been Galindafied…Let’s get to class." In class, Elphaba does the sleeping spell and frees the lion with Fiyero. She holds his face and heals his scratch, creating a powerful moment. But then Fiyero leaves, and Elphaba sings, "I’m Not That Girl," leaving us with a sense of longing.

Timeline Issues and Plot Holes

Some time passes, and Elphaba is invited to meet the Wizard. Just before leaving for the Emerald City, Glinda mentions that Fiyero has been acting "distant and moodified" since the day with the lion cub. This tracks as 24 hours after they first met. Glinda has a flair for the dramatic, like when she said she was going to marry Fiyero on the night after the Ozdust but he didn't know yet. But Fiyero says he thinks about that day a lot. These longing stares seem to set up a future betrayal, but the short timeline cheapens the emotional core.To fix these issues, they could have cut the "Galindafied" comment, suggesting the date of the lion cub release was in the future. They could also have made "I’m Not That Girl" a montage, showing Elphaba watching Fiyero and Glinda dating and falling in love while she is relegated to the shadows. Another option is to cut down the clunky animal-rights plot to make more room for the Shiz students.The reason the relationship development matters early in the story is that once Elphaba and Glinda board the train to the Emerald City, we hardly see them together in Act 2. There are rumors of new material in Part 2 to fill these gaps, but the friendship and triangle need to be well-established in Part 1 for it to have weight in Part 2.

Faith in the Movie and Missed Elements

Since I enjoyed the movie so much, I'm choosing to have some faith. During "No One Mourns the Wicked," there is a tiny flash of a school scene, perhaps hinting at future flashbacks to strengthen the characters' bonds. But I would have preferred to see more of the love between Elphaba and Glinda on screen, not just during the actors' press appearances. Oh, and I really miss the Time Dragon. Erasing her was the most outrageous and offensive thing I've ever seen.