Published: 30 October 2024 Wicked has been called a "masterpiece" in its first reactions ahead of the movie's cinema release next month. The highly anticipated movie adaptation of the stage musical sees Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo take on the iconic roles of Glinda and Elphaba, whose paths cross before becoming the Good Witch of the North and the Wicked Witch of the West. This prequel of The Wizard of Oz includes all the iconic songs from the first half of the stage musical, while a second part is set to be released in cinemas in 2025. A lucky few have already seen the first part of Wicked ahead of its release on November 22, and have taken to Twitter to share their first reactions. Do Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo hit the right notes? Universal Pictures "As someone who loves The Wizard of Oz and the Wicked music, I was skeptical about it. Did this need to be two films and this long? What were those clips? I wasn't sold. And I was wrong! #WickedMovie is everything cinema should be. The crafts and acting are the absolute SHIZ," wrote Variety's Jazz Tangcay. Film reporter Katcy Stephan also addressed her scepticism about the adaptation, but she calls it a "masterpiece", with special compliments for Ariana Grande's performance. "Ariana Grande makes Glinda sparkle: she milks every moment with gusto, humor and hair flips. Jon M. Chu added so much new life to the story that I can see why it needed to be 2 parts! Well worth the 20-year wait," she wrote. The Playlist is already including Ariana Grande in their bets for the Oscar season, adding: "She's not doing a Kristin Chenoweth impersonation or playing a stereotypical ditzy, popular girl princess type. The pop megastar often delivers startling depth to her character before jumping into a musical number that will have you grinning from ear to ear." Universal Alongside Grande and Erivo, the main cast of Wicked includes Bridgerton's Jonathan Bailey, Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Goldblum, Bowen Yang and Ethan Slater. Back in September, in an interview with Vanity Fair, Ariana Grande reflected on the criticism over her voice change for the movie, and called out the double standard that exists when a male actor changes his voice for a role. "There is a part of the world that isn’t familiar with what it takes to transform your voice, whether it's singing or taking on a different dialect for a role or doing a character voice for something." "When it's a male actor that does it, it's acclaimed. There are definitely jokes that are made as well, but it's always after being led with praise: 'Oh, wow, he was so lost in the role.' And that's just a part of the job, really. "Tale as old as time being a woman in this industry. You are treated differently, and you are under a microscope in a way that some people aren't." Wicked is released in cinemas on November 22. Glen Powell Twisters T-shirt