Elphaba’s battle cry at the end of a Target commercial, Ariana Grande clutching Cynthia Erivo’s finger, space being held for the lyrics of defying gravity — Hollywood’s newest blockbuster “Wicked” has taken over the internet and solidified its place as an engaging and well-produced movie musical in a time of poor adaptations and unoriginal soundtracks.
The movie centers on Elphaba, played by Cynthia Erivo, who is a smart, strong young woman who faces prejudice head-on because of her bright green skin. Elphaba enters Shiz University with her sister Nessarose, played by Marissa Bode, where the magical powers she’s had all of her life prove themselves useful. Ariana Grande plays Elphaba’s roommate, archnemesis and best friend Glinda, a peppy pink sorceress-to-be who believes being “popular” is the trick to success. Elphaba and Glinda’s friendship evolves and complicates throughout the film as they face school challenges, an encounter with the Wizard of Oz and social justice issues plaguing their society. They must learn to not only navigate each other, but also the lies spread throughout Oz and the contrast between doing what’s right for themselves and doing what’s right for others.
For me, the reason to watch “Wicked” wasn’t for the complex, allegorical plot, the dazzling scenery or the skillful acting — although these features are crucial and equally important. I was originally drawn to Wicked because of the music. I’ve been listening to the Broadway soundtrack since I was 10, with “The Wizard and I” always taking the top spot on my list of favorite musical songs. I was nervous when first listening to the soundtrack, as modern movie musicals tend to leave the ”musical” part out of their soundtrack and adapt the songs to have a more modern pop sound that typically sounds flat, unoriginal and terrible — this is a direct citation to the 2024 Mean Girls movie musical. Yet, the “Wicked” movie shocked me, especially with the casting of Ariana Grande. Cynthia Erivo has garnered most of her fame from musicals, so I knew she would honor the Elphaba sound, but I was shocked with Ariana Grande and her commitment to the original theatre style. While there were some less traditional musical choices — the riff at the beginning of “Popular,” for example — she stayed on course and made Glinda into her own without spoiling the original character or the theatre feel. The music also retained its original style in part due to Stephen Schwartz, “Wicked”’s original composer, working on the movie soundtrack.
The highlights in the Wicked soundtrack for me are “Dancing Through Life,” “What Is This Feeling?,” “No One Mourns The Wicked” and “The Wizard and I.” “Popular” and “Defying Gravity” are obvious moments of both the skill and power of Grande and Erivo’s respective voices, but they can overshadow ensemble songs and other equally strong selections. “Dancing Through Life” is such a classic song, and Jonathan Bailey is able to completely inhabit Fiyero and deliver an outstanding performance. The song also highlights the film’s outstanding choreography alongside “What is This Feeling?,” which went viral for its ensemble dance sequence. “No One Mourns The Wicked” is an excellent introduction to the musical and helps serve the original purpose of plot-based songs. My favorite song will always be “The Wizard and I,” and Cynthia Erivo’s version has quickly become my favorite take. She plays Elphaba’s curiosity and openness to this new world in perfect contrast to what her character will later become and sets up her hopes for the change that drives her throughout the movie. The song’s climax, “And I’ll stand there with the Wizard / Feeling things I’ve never felt,” is a crowning moment of Stephen Schwartz’s genius score combined with Erivo’s Herculean talent, dedication and skill.
“Wicked” tackles the plot and music in act one of its Broadway predecessor, which has many confused about its second half. I was initially critical of this separation, and at times, I felt the movie’s length was unnecessary because of the slower moments in the first half of the film. But after seeing the movie’s magnum opus “Defying Gravity,” I realized that such a powerful scene couldn’t have been followed by anything else except room for anticipation and pondering about the plot’s intricate parallels. The film leaves off not at a point of finality, but ambitious uncertainty. Both Glinda and Elphaba have made major decisions that change not only the course of their lives, but the world of Oz. The viewer has a sense of where the movie may go — Elphaba is off to save the world, and Glinda is gone to pursue her own interests. The silent gap between the two films creates doubt in these seemingly certain paths, and the separation was a skillful and smart choice by director Jon M. Chu.
The cultural hold that “Wicked” has had over the past month doesn’t shock me thanks to its star-studded cast, from EGOT hopeful Cynthia Erivo to pop superstar Ariana Grande and Hollywood legends Jeff Goldblum and Peter Dinklage. I’m happy to see an original musical gaining so much traction, with moviegoers donning pink and green to revel at the movie theatre and become part of the “Wicked” experience.
Social media and popular programs like SNL have accounted for a large portion of Wicked’s popularity, as creators are running with remixes of the soundtrack, Ozian-themed skits and fixating on the particularly intimate nature of Erivo and Grande’s press interviews — I’d be surprised if most weren’t familiar with the famed “holding space” queer media interview, where Erivo and Grande get emotional over a nonexistent concept, hold fingers and flaunt their many shared tattoos.
“Wicked” is truly a movie for the theatre kids, by the theatre kids, and it makes me happy to see pop culture grasp onto its genius. Cynthia Erivo’s performance as Elphaba is not to be missed, and the entire cast is excellent and dedicated in their performances. The visuals of the movie are stunning, and the screenplay provides interesting dialogue alongside an engaging storyline that expands on the original plot points. The soundtrack is skillfully crafted and holds its own against the original Broadway cast recording, alongside easily contending for best movie soundtrack of the year. I would recommend this movie to anyone wanting to see a musical, as it’s truly an experience you won’t want to miss.