Something has changed within me, something is not the same. I can finally say that, as I’ve seen the first part of director Jon M. Chu’s stunning adaptation of Wicked, which left me with great anticipation for what happens next. Thanks to a very special early preview, I can now not only ask the usual question of To 3D or Not To 3D, but I can also answer if the film is worth the extra ticket money and time to track it down in its 4DX combo!
Should you want to know how the experience plays in its natural form, you can check out our Wicked review. But if you want to determine if this holiday tentpole deserves the chance to fly in premium format, you’ve come to the right place. With that said, let’s see if Elphaba and Glinda’s journey is an eye-popping seat mover or if you should just buy tickets to see the closest production of the stage show at your earliest convenience.
Overall Fit Score - 5/5
Seeing as Wicked started its flesh and blood life as a musical stage adaptation of Gregory Maguire’s best-selling book, it’s kind of fitting that there’d be two different mediums that help put the audience into the film. Looking at things from the 3D side of the aisle, Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo’s blockbuster spectacle pretty much begged to be enhanced for third-dimensional thrills.
As Twisters’ meteoric 4DX success still on the minds of moviegoers, this particular format’s fans have probably been waiting to know what it feels like to become a singing/dancing student at Shiz University. With both sides of this coin properly set up for success, the 3D/4DX version of Wicked could be quite popular.
Overall Planning & Effort - 3.5/5
Our second averaged field of scoring is the Planning and Effort work put into both sides of the premium format experience. This is the level of critique where you really start to see the quality of an experience in either 3D or 4DX. Ideally there’d be enough time to plan and calibrate this variant of the picture to be an optimal experience for either side of this equation, especially when the movie is a potential blockbuster hit such as this.
Averaged together, the Planning and Effort on Wicked is ok. If I had to pick a side I think benefitted from better execution, it’d be the 3D version by a decent margin. (A major hat tip is in order for SDFX Studios for making this conversion effort possible.) Though it isn’t a crushing disappointment, the fact that we’re only sitting at a 3.5 rating for P&E with a 5 star movie sitting as the foundation is a bit of a letdown.
3D Before The Window - 3/5
When looking at the Before the Window focus of a 3D presentation, we’re seeking the thrills that pop out of the window and into the audience’s laps and/or faces; things like flying coins, broomsticks in flight or even an invitation from The Wizard. These are factors that actually do make Wicked an eye-popping experience, as those sorts of moments are had - and the coin trick actually did manage to make me flinch a bit.
Sadly, there isn’t enough of this effect to impress to the level that Wicked deserves. When they do appear, the Before the Window thrills work quite well. So it’s not so much the execution, but rather the frequency that sees this portion of our evaluation docked a couple of points.
3D Beyond The Window - 5/5
Here’s something fun to consider: Wicked director Jon M. Chu actually directed Step Up 3D, which saw that franchise enter the realm of the third dimension at the dawn of the medium’s post-Avatar resurgence. That’s something interesting to keep in mind as we wind our way through this particular red and blue-bricked road, especially since Wicked’s singing and dancing thrills don’t get lost in the 3D format.
I was particularly worried about the latter half of that enterprise, as keeping people and their environments separated with proper spatial reasoning is hard enough in a less kinetic film. Sure enough, that sort of delineation is crisply exhibited, which really lets the crowd-filled nature of Wicked’s bigger moments take center stage. Trust me, “One Short Day” is going to look as fantastic as it feels.
3D Brightness Score - 2/5
Oh boy, those flying monkeys are going to pay. For the 3D half of our scorecard, the major weakness tends to be the Brightness factor. This is where the traditional advisory of mileage varying due to the level of upkeep your local theater gives to its equipment comes into play. But even with that caveat in mind, my 3D/4DX showing of Wicked was pretty dark in the nighttime scenes.
For a movie so rich in color, the daytime scenes were pretty visible, despite a heavier than usual amount of dimming when slipping the glasses on. However, it’s the nocturnal scenes that really suffer, especially Cynthia Erivo’s heart rending performance of “I’m Not That Girl.” As she sullenly hides in the shadows throughout that number, there are moments where you practically can’t see her through the dimming, and that’s truly disappointing.
Glasses Off Score: 5/5
Removing your glasses allows you to see the thrills behind the curtain, so to speak. That means you get to partake in the blur that makes up the segmented picture that is reassembled, once you put on your 3D glasses. Typically the more blur you see, the more effort there is in the 3D conversion of the film on display; and Wicked is a healthy example of all of the greatest hits in this factor.
2D anchor points and contrasting blur from both background and foreground elements give depth to the images being observed. So you’ll definitely see double when looking at certain sequences without those magic spectacles. I don’t know what the Ozian word is for that sort of observation, but I’m sure there’s a scholar out there who does.
4DX Water Effects: 2/5
I get it, Wicked’s titular lead is a character that can’t get wet, otherwise she’ll die. We still don’t have any answers on why that’s the case in this two-part adaptation, but I wonder if that’s why the 4DX showing I observed didn’t have much moisture to call its own. That’s even with sequences that have Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh) showing us why weather is her thing, and, of course, the big show-stopping finale in “Defying Gravity.”
I could only detect water effects being used for two scenes in the 2 hour and 40 minute running time, and they were both simple sprinkles. One moment was to signify broken glass, and another was when Madame Morrible is about to protect Elphaba from an incoming rainstorm. Both made me wish there was more of a consistent usage, similar to Twisters’ 4DX experience.
4DX Scent Effects: 1/5
I’m starting to think the only 4DX scent effects studios like to take advantage of are “Bug Spray” or “Earth Woods.” While Alien: Romulus used 4DX to its advantage, even that picture didn’t seem to mix things up for our nasal cavities. Wicked making limited use of its olfactory canvas is the only factor that surpasses the disappointingly scant use of water effects; and it further drags down this half of the premium format combo.
4DX Light/Air/Smoke Effects - 4/5
We’ve returned to the land of positive thinking here, as Wicked does give those windswept visuals you’ve seen in the trailers some added heft. Returning to the concept of “playing the hits,” we absolutely get smoke effects to accompany things like the introduction to The Wizard (Jeff Goldblum) via his usual smoke and mirrors.
Strobe effects are even present with some of the scenes presented involving lighting and a projector coming to life in the classroom of Dr. Dillamond (Peter Dinklage). But it’s the air that steals the show in this section thanks to its presence in sweeping numbers like “The Wizard and I,” as well as Wicked’s huge closing number - which might be the moment that shows off the best of the 4DX experience you should expect from the total package.
4DX Motion Effects: 5/5
The only perfect score in the 4DX portion of our scorecard is, predictably, the motion effects. If you thought getting impaled by a Xenomorph during Alien: Romulus was a harrowing sensation, try sprouting wings like the unfortunate flying monkey who becomes one of Wicked’s unfortunate animal companions.
That usage of the vibrating back pads is only the start of what this movie has to offer, as the dancing present in Wicked fulfills the promise shown in Venom: The Last Dance’s 4DX presentation. Venom and Mrs. Chen’s dance break twirled so that every moment of group dancing in this picture could whirl. Also brightening the movement portion of this show is the fact that every time Glinda (Ariana Grande) flips her hair or someone flinches in fright at Elphaba, we feel it in the chair!
Then there’s “Defying Gravity,” the last song in Wicked’s first half of storytelling, which takes motion and wind effects and uses them to amp up the emotions of an already charged song. Movement is the sweet spot in Wicked's 4DX presentation, as it adds the most value on this front.
Overall Audience Health - 4/5
This is the first time I can think of in quite some time that I’ve seen some 3D eye wonk present. There’s minor ocular confusion when watching some of the more active events in Wicked’s spectacular story - most notably in the third act action leading up to “Defying Gravity” that show us the point of view of the flying monkeys. But other than that visual discomfort, and the smooth, but thrilling motion effects, you’re going to be just fine taking in this premium experience.
Final Verdict: 38.5/55
Wicked as a combined 3D and 4DX experience is a lot of fun, but a case where the movie might actually carry the effects, instead of the other way around. With the Brightness and Scent/Water effects falling short, what could have been a defining title in these premium formats finds itself coming off as enjoyable, but by no means required.
And with that last bit of notes, we can now wait through our year-long intermission between Wicked: Part One and the upcoming 2025 movie Wicked: Part Two. There are still some 3D and 4DX thrills on the horizon, so don’t forget to check back often and see what our next trip to this theme park-style experience brings! Until then, never forget that everyone deserves a chance to fly, and that no wizard that there is or was can ever bring you down!
