Wicked has been a beloved musical for over 20 years and has cultivated a strong fan base unlike any other. The 1995 book Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by George Maguire is a much darker and revisionist story of the 1939 classic film, The Wizard Of Oz. This childhood film has been shown to generations, so when the book Wicked was adapted and debuted on Broadway in 2003, it shared a fresh perspective on the familiar tale.

Naturally, when the creation of the film version of Wicked was announced, there was a ton of excitement. Rumors circulated over who would play what part and how the movie would be executed. Eventually, it was revealed that Ariana Grande was granted the role of Glinda the Good Witch, and Cynthia Erivo was cast to play Elphaba. After years of speculation about how director Jon M. Chu (known for his films such as In The Heights and Crazy Rich Asians) would pull it off, part one of the film was finally released on November 22 and received quite warmly by the public.

The film is filled with splashy, eccentric sets and colors while also being deeply emotional and sharing an important message of kindness with the audience. The songs remain timeless and are executed extremely well. The whole cast gave incredible performances, including Jonathon Bailey, as Fiyero, who delivers an outstanding rendition of Dancing Through Life, and Ethan Slater, who portrays a quirky and adorable Boq. However, Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo delivered the film's most memorable performances. Whether it’s Erivos' heart-stopping vocals in The Wizard and I and Defying Gravity or Grande displaying her incredible voice and comedic talent in What Is This Feeling? and Popular, these powerhouse performances drive the film. Grande and Erivo’s on-screen chemistry is moving and reflects their real-life relationship. Since meeting on se,t these two have become inseparable. In a New York Times interview, when asked how closely they stuck together during the film's creation, Grande says, “-I felt held and like I had a friend every step of the way. I’m really proud of us for how genuinely we took care of each other throughout this whole time.” There are so many factors that make Wicked a stand-out movie of the year, however, one of the most notable aspects is the value the film puts on friendship. Although both girls fall in love with Fiyero, it is not a central point of the film. Instead, these two women's love for each other stands out more than anything.

The film also did an excellent job of dropping several easter eggs throughout. For example, the slippers that Elphaba’s sister, Nessarose, receives are silver, referencing L. Frank Baum’s original novel of the tale. There is also a scene in which the Wizard dances behind the curtain, a call back to the famous line in the 1939 film, “Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.” If you pay close enough attention, there are many easter eggs to watch out for.

While the film was both funny and delightful, there was also serious social and political commentary throughout the film. A subplot in Wicked is the growing movement throughout Oz to suppress the ability of animals to speak. In this magical land, animals can talk and can, therefore, lead normal and human-like lives. However, at the end of the film, it is revealed that the Wizard uses animals to place people's blame and disgust to unify the rest of the land by creating a common enemy. This eerily resembles our current political climate and easily equates the Wizard to Donald Trump, as well as the state Nazi Germany was in during the rise of Hitler. When the play was originally released in 2003, it seemed quite pointed at the George W. Bush administration, which had commanded the invasion of Iraq shortly before the musical began.

With part one of Wicked being a huge hit, there is a lot of buzz around the upcoming second part of the film that will be released on November 21, 2025. But what should we expect from this next part of the movie? Aside from some of the most moving songs of the musical, especially For Good, there seems to be no limit to what this franchise can accomplish. What we do know, though, is that it is sure to be wickedly good.