Warning: This article may contain spoilers!!
Adapted from the hit Broadway musical, “Wicked” stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, leaving fans on the edge of their seats for what’s to come. This is an absolute-must see, and I give it a rating of 9.8/10 because of how well the plot is developed and how it left me coming up with ideas of what will happen next.
This musical/fantasy hit theaters on Nov. 22 and has had theaters at full capacity. Already making over $450 million at the box office, this movie is certainly “popular.” The movie starts off in the present, where the town of Munchkinville is celebrating the death of the Wicked Witch of the West. Glinda, played by Ariana Grande, appears in a giant bubble from the sky, celebrating with the town. One of the villagers asks her if she was ever friends with the witch, and to everyone’s surprise, she says yes. Glinda then starts to tell the town how she and the witch met. We follow Glinda and Elphaba, the Wicked Witch, played by Cynthia Erivo, and their unexpected friendship as they journey through the Emerald City. Elphaba, a woman who has been an outcast her whole life because of her congenitally green skin, was only seen for her physical appearance and nothing else. Glinda, on the other hand, is privileged and adored by everyone, making her the complete opposite of Elphaba. They ultimately become friends and prove that opposites attract, but leave them at a crossroads at the end.
As a musical, the singing was, of course, absolutely breathtaking. With hit pop singer Ariana Grande and her beautiful whistle notes, and the extremely talented Cynthia Erivo, who was in “The Color Purple” on Broadway, there’s no doubt that they were perfect for their roles. All of the songs that I had listened to before from the original soundtrack were insanely spot-on, which I found rather surprising. I even got chills from how much emotion was in the movie. It was just that good. Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth, who played Glinda and Elphaba, respectively, in the original Broadway musical, made a cameo in the movie as enchantresses in Emerald City. As someone who has been part of musicals for the past three years at Woodside, I definitely think this movie has made me appreciate theater a lot more. Although I’ve never been to any Broadway musicals in person, I think this was pretty close to what I imagined it as. It’s movies like this that make me feel passionate about shows I’m in and how they never fail to amaze me with what they do to an audience.
The incorporation of elements from the original 1939 “Wizard of Oz” movie was nostalgic and definitely brought me back to my childhood when I originally watched “The Wizard of Oz.” At the very beginning, you catch a glimpse of Dorothy, the Lion, the Tin Man and the Scarecrow all walking toward a modernized Emerald City.
The development of Elphaba and Glinda’s friendship was by far my favorite part. The way they went from loathing each other to being best friends and embarking on the journey of a lifetime together was very heart-warming. I went into the movie with high expectations since I knew it was getting a lot of attention from the media. Everyone was talking about it, so I had to find out what all the fuss was about for myself, merely having listened to a few songs. The length of the movie at first glance was a bit discouraging since I don’t typically love long movies, especially ones lasting 2 hours and 40 minutes, but I can say with full honesty that there wasn’t a single time in the movie where I was bored. Seeing people dress up in green and pink attire for Elphaba and Glinda reminded me of when the Barbie movie came out and how everyone was dressing up in pink to see the movie.
The one downside that I was not fond of was the huge cliffhanger at the end. When the movie started it had the words “Part I” under the title, but for some reason, I thought both parts were going to be in the movie. I’m a bit disappointed that I, along with all the other fans, have to wait a year for Part II to come out. The other part that I didn’t love was when Glinda had to choose to either stay in Emerald City with the conniving Wizard of Oz and Madame Morrible or fly off into the distance with Elphaba; she stayed in Emerald City. I was really hoping for Glinda to go with Elphaba and continue the journey they had already started, but I’m sure there’s a reason for it which we’ll find out about in Part II.
For those who enjoy adventure and amazing cinematography, this one’s definitely for you. On Rotten Tomatoes, this movie got a whopping 89% fresh score, which is pretty solid from a movie critic. Even if musicals aren’t really your thing and you don’t see the hype, I think it’s great for families to enjoy together. The overarching never judging a book by its cover message is truly heartfelt and will even make some a bit teary-eyed.
That being said, go to your local movie theater, grab a bucket of popcorn (and maybe some tissues), and do as Elphaba says: “It’s time to trust my instincts, close my eyes, and leap.”
