Musical and movie fans alike have been racing to theatres to catch this highly anticipated adaptation of the timeless “Wicked.”  After two long years of filming, the brand new movie interpretation of the broadway show, Wicked: Part 1 launched in theatres November 22, 2024. 

The story goes like this: After the death of the Wicked Witch of the West, Elphaba Thropp, Glinda Upland reminisces with the people of Oz on her friendship with the fallen witch. On a journey of mastery over her emotions and sorcery, Elphaba learns lessons pertaining to friendship, integrity, and discernment.

This was the best movie rendition of a musical I have ever seen. Other recent stage-to-screen productions were lackluster, like the recent “Mean Girls” (2024) which I hibernated though in theaters. Even musical remakes with beloved actors weren’t safe. “Wonka” (2023) with Timothee Chalamet was a huge disappointment as well. These failed movies had two pitfalls—they did not market themselves as musicals, leaving moviegoers confused (and annoyed) when actors burst into song in the middle of a scene. Second, directors and actors did not make any interesting choices that set the movie apart from just a remake of the same story fans have seen over and over again.  

“Wicked,” delivers a fresh take. One of my favorite parts of “Wicked,” were the choices that the director and actors made that deviated from the Broadway show. Cynthia Erivo’s soulful voice made for a hair-raising delivery of the iconic runs in “The Wizard and I” and the “Defying Gravity” battle cry. The best deviation from the play was by Erivo in the Ozdust ballroom scene.  In the musical, when Elphaba walks into the party with the hat on that Glinda gave her, she expects to be laughed at and taunted.  In the movie Cynthia Erivo portrays Elphaba as a shunned person expecting to finally receive the inclusion she has craved her entire life. This deflation is what moves Glinda to dance with Elphaba. Erivo’s choice added more meaning to the lyrics in Defying Gravity: “Too long I’ve been afraid of/ Losing love, I guess I’ve lost/ Well, if that’s love, it comes at much too high a cost.” This created a full circle moment in the plot, the shift between Elphaba’s attitude toward acceptance at the Ozdust ball versus in the Emerald City by the end of the movie is even more polarizing and adds so much to the meaning of Elphaba as a dynamic character. The moment where Ariana Grande as Glinda wipes Elphaba’s tears as they dance was the first of many tear jerking moments throughout the film, and one of my favorite parts. I had chills during “Defying Gravity.” The pauses in the song forced viewers to hold space for the lyrics, and developed the scene as well as characters so well, revealing so many complex movies and . The set design of the thundering sky and the lights in the emerald tower flickering then bursting all added to the intensity of the scene.  This scene was the epitome of all of the aspects of a production working in tandem to create a moving scene.

Ariana Grande’s performance was also stunning. I had no doubt in her ability to sing the songs given her past experience on Broadway in the musical “13” (2008). Contrary to what I expected, she also brought the bubbly humor needed to Glinda’s character, while still portraying her as a dynamic person with unique hopes and motives.

I’m a musical enthusiast, but one place movies trump plays is in their ability to really develop a setting and background. On a stage, a lot of the background is left up to the imagination, with one set encompassing a myriad of different scenes and destinations. It is obvious that the set designers took their time building Shiz, the Emerald City, and Munchkin land.  It was so satisfying to get to actually see these places and not have to imagine them.

I — surprisingly — have no bad things to say about this movie.  It was a theatre kid’s dream. I actually had to go see it a second time. I am beyond excited to see the second movie installment, projected to come out in November of 2025.  Based on the overwhelming success of “Wicked: Part 1,” the potential of “Wicked: For Good” is unlimited.