Home Video Review: The ‘Wicked’ Blu-ray Is A Must For The Hit Musical’s Super Fans

One of 2024’s biggest hits — and recently nominated for ten Academy Awards — the gargantuan musical Wicked gets even bigger on Blu-ray and 4K UHD.

Based on the Broadway smash, adapted from the 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire, which was itself inspired by the 1939 film classic The Wizard of Oz, that was in turn based on the series of books by L. Frank Baum, Wicked, of course, undoes all the previous lore and poses the basic question of “What if the Wicked Witch wasn’t so wicked after all?”

After an overlong prologue, endlessly effervescent goody goody Glinda (Ariana Grande) arrives at the magical Shiz University — sort of a less Gothic and more pastel Mediterranean Hogwarts — prepared to be the best student. She’s soon paired with an unlikely roommate: Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), a green-skinned outcast who harbors an immense well of magical skills she doesn’t yet know how to control. Their rivalry soon blossoms into friendship but nothing is at it seems at Shiz, when Elphaba uncovers a conspiracy involving the school’s staff and a great and powerful wizard (Jeff Goldblum) in the nearby Emerald City.

Overstuffed with subplots, side characters, and endless exposition (hey, isn’t this a prequel? Why is there so much exposition?), and running nearly three hours, it’s much too much, especially considering it’s only the first half of the story. But it’s hard not to be wowed by all the talent on display, from the core performances to the epic set design, sound, costuming, makeup, and both practical and CG visual effects, all of which are nominated for Oscars.

Director John M. Chu (Crazy Rich Asians) is no stranger to musicals — having helmed two of the Step Up films, and In the Heights — and proves to be a perfect match for the material. However, the film’s not-so-secret weapon is the chemistry between co-stars Erivo and Grande, who both seem to be born for these roles and sell the heartbreak of losing a friend well enough to melt the resolve of even the most cynical anti-musicalist.

Michelle Yeoh, Bowen Yang, scene-stealing heartthrob Jonathan Bailey, and the voice of Peter Dinklage co-star and all get a chance to sing little ditties here and there, but Erivo and Grande are the only ones really allowed to belt, and belt they both can.

For super fans, the disc’s chief special feature is undoubtedly the “Sing-along” version of the film joyfully introduced by Erico and Grande, who encourage vocal warm-ups. Even if you can’t quite match their vocal prowess, you can probably keep up with Yeoh and Dinklage.

Grande and Erivo’s boundless sincerity spills over into their joint audio commentary, illustrating their closeness. But they spend too much time just pointing things out onscreen, and often lapse into silence as they just watch. Instead of explaining how things were done, they just praise everything they see, offering up an infinite variety of comments like “I love this shot” and “I’m obsessed with this scene.” For film buffs, Chu’s separate, solo commentary takes a more nuts and bolts look at the production.

The excellent retrospective “Making Wicked” is the kind of 45-minute behind-the-scenes documentary that studio releases always used to include, but rarely do these days. Cast and crew — crucially including production designer Nathan Crowley and choreographer Christopher Scott — explore all aspects of the colossal production. Although there’s certainly plenty of CGI on hand, Wicked boasts some dazzling practical effects, and we’re given a good look at three massive backlots comprising various sets for Shiz Academy, Munchkinland, and the Emerald City. Other highlights include looks at the 10-foot high, 62-ton Emerald City express train and the two-ton animatronic used for the Wizard’s mechanical visage.

Three much shorter featurettes dive further into the film’s production, and the legacy of the Broadway musical that starred Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel. They’re all fine on their own, but could’ve been folded into the larger documentary.

There are also a dozen or so deleted and extended scenes that are all around a minute or two each, so there’s nothing that could’ve potentially altered the movie in any noticeable way. But there is a fun scene featuring some cool roller skate choreography. Another cut scene features some unfinished effects, including not-fully-rendered flying monkeys that look like refugees from the original 1996 Jumanji.

Wicked is now available on 4K UHD steelbook, Blu-ray and Digital formats. Wicked: For Good flies to theaters November 21st.