It’s finally here. I have been obsessed with Wicked since the moment my mother put on a CD of the soundtrack in her Subaru to enhance our daily drive to my elementary school. Since that moment, my mind was filled with each and every lyric, and I watched every illegally recorded live production that I could get my hands on. I even covered myself in green paint to transform into Elphaba for Halloween in the fifth grade, to give a picture. 

I walked to the theatre this Thanksgiving break to see the long-awaited Wicked movie on a brisk Saturday afternoon, fearing my dreams of a strong, quality Wicked movie that stays true to the musical would be tarnished. Thankfully, my expectations were unfairly cynical, and I found myself returning to the joy, moral ambiguity and musical prowess that made me fall in love with the Broadway hit all those years ago. 

I cried during about 30% of this movie. Was this partially because I went with my mother, who was the impetus for my Wicked obsession? Probably. I was absolutely floored from the first note of “No One Mourns the Wicked,” couldn’t keep it together during “The Wizard and I,” and was mildly hysterical during “I’m Not That Girl.” The kicker for my emotional well-being, however, was Cynthia Erivo seeing her younger self during “Defying Gravity.” Elphaba had become the culmination of everything she wanted to be and stayed true to her convictions, something her younger self would be proud of, even if it didn’t look how she expected. This moment is a perfect example of using film to enhance the themes of the original musical without overly altering it, and, dare I say, I held space for it.

Cynthia Erivo was the absolute standout in a strong and fabulously star-studded cast. Erivo captured Elphaba as the genuine, intelligent, and true heroine she is meant to be. She had that clear resilience and willingness to stand up to tyranny, and her striking vocal range consistently gave me chills. I was impressed by Arianna Grande’s unexpected triple threat capacity, particularly her singing, comedic timing and chemistry with Erivo, providing just the right amount of subtle homoeroticism. Michelle Yeoh and Jeff Goldblum were perfectly cast and perfectly creepy. I hope to see more actors with stronger musical theatre backgrounds cast in movie musicals in the future, however. 

For our collective sanity, I will keep my critique of the color-grading at a minimum, but I wished they would go bolder in either a brighter “Wizard of Oz” direction, or towards the eerie darkness of the Broadway musical. I could have seen an almost Coraline-esque, fantastical yet sinister design evocative of the grittier original. I was dreaming of some incorporation of The Clock of the Time Dragon found in the original musical, but there’s always Part Two!

While I loved Wicked, I hated how aggressively it was marketed, and confused as to why it was sold largely as a children’s movie. Yes, it’s great that musical theater is being brought to the forefront of the cultural conversation, and we can all hope our favorite local theater or arts program won’t lose funding as a ripple effect of all these movie musicals. But what does this beautiful story about the hypocrisy of people in power have to do with which cellphone you chose to purchase? I imagine Elphaba, in all her willingness to stand up to authority in the name of what is right, would despise Wicked being used to advertise such ethically abhorrent ventures as AI. I was, as always, deeply irritated by the rampant capitalism that is apparently necessary to make such a widely successful film, though I know that my opinion will not stop such marketing from happening, and it has been ostensibly effective. 

I have absolutely no complaints about the length of the film, and I think having two parts is the best way to cover the complex story. I was ensconced the whole time. I went in terrified that they would cut numbers, characters or vital plot points, and witnessed nothing of the sort. They didn’t cut a single song, as is so often done in movie musicals! 

The dancing in Wicked was incredible. I did, however, get a little seasick between some of the wild moving camera angles during such splashy numbers as “What is This Feeling” and “Dancing Through Life.” Occasionally the swooping camera provided an immersive leap into the magical Land of Oz, but most of the time I would have preferred to take in the visual grandeur in a way that doesn’t give me vertigo. 

I didn’t have a single complaint about the costumes. Tony Award-winning costume designer Paul Tazewell designed Hamilton on Broadway, for God’s sake! He successfully reimagined the world of Oz as just modern and expressive enough to stay true to the original while bringing new light to each character. Standouts include the cascading ruffles of the short dress Glinda wears to the Ozdust Ballroom, inspired by a pink and yellow rose Tazewell saw in Regent’s Park, London, and Elphaba’s “One Short Day” and “Defying Gravity” dress, inspired by the underside of mushroom caps, with twisting papery layers of black silk chiffon and black lace covering shimmery purple taffeta. Even my usual nemeses in Hollywood musicals—bad wigs and visible wig lace—didn’t rear their literal ugly heads once in this movie, despite vigorous sassy hair tossing. 

Overall, I adored Wicked. I was successfully whisked away into the rich story, and I feel that they kept all of the important points while making it cohesive and accessible for a wide audience. I am absolutely foaming at the mouth for Part Two, and I plan to continue aggressively sharing my unsolicited opinions with unsuspecting movie-goers and Spectator readers whether they like it or not.