We open on desolation, chaos and revelry. Flying monkeys flee as the townspeople of Oz celebrate the death of the tyrannical Wicked Witch of the West. A bubble floats down gracefully from the sky, and the people cheer wildly.

This is the grand entrance of our hero Glinda the Good Witch, as played by Ariana Grande in the blockbuster Wicked. And almost immediately the energy is drained and the stage is set for one of the most uncomfortable and characterless portrayals in modern cinema.

The musical Wicked debuted on Broadway in 2003 and quickly became one of the most popular and successful stage shows of all time. Fans have awaited a film version for decades and were finally granted their wish in 2024, after a troubled production interrupted by multiple stoppages and delays. For the most part it lived up to the hype.

Ariana Granda as Glinda in the film Wicked.Credit:

Part one of Wicked (the musical has been inexplicably stretched across two films, with the trailer for this year’s sequel Wicked: For Good released in June) was a huge success: it grossed $US756 million ($1.155 billion) worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing........

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