Dec 27
Big Gay Movie Roundup: 13 Notable Films from 2024
Kilian Melloy READ TIME: 16 MIN.
Wicked
Speaking of queer-adjacent... it's a shame that pundits and publicists tried to pair "Wicked" and "Gladiator II" into the next "Barbenheimer," because a double feature of "Queer" and "Wicked" – "Quicked?" – would have worked so much better. After all, what is love but the most potent form of magic? And isn't a psychedelic trip in the jungle as close to "Defying Gravity" as many of us will ever get?
Joh M. Chu's powerhouse adaptation of the iconic stage musical (a prequel to Frank L. Baum's classic novel "The Wizard of Oz") essentially puts Act One of the epic play on film, with Cynthia Erivo starring as Elphaba (a younger version of The Wicked Witch of the West) and Ariana Grande playing her frenemy, Galinda (destined to grow up to become Glinda the Good Witch).
But is "Wicked" truly queer-adjacent? Or is it downright queer? The movie investigates the gap between reality and prejudicial perception, and calls into question assumptions about who, in this world or any other, truly is a hero and who is a villain. That's surely a story anyone in the LGBTQ+ community can hold space for. (Besides, Ariana herself has taken note of the film's queer vibes.)
"Wicked" is currently in theaters.
Kilian Melloy serves as EDGE Media Network's Associate Arts Editor and Staff Contributor. His professional memberships include the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, the Boston Online Film Critics Association, The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association, and the Boston Theater Critics Association's Elliot Norton Awards Committee.
