On November 22, 2024, “Wicked Part 1” was released in the theaters of the globe. The film is directed by John M. Chu, with scores and soundtrack by Stephen Schwartz, a homage with no intention of imitating the original Broadway production that has been on and off Broadway for more than 20 years.
In this Oscar-nominated film, Cynthia Erivo is Elphaba, a misunderstood green-skinned witch and Ariana Grande-Butera is Glinda, a sorceress-to-be. This family-friendly movie blends drama and comedy.
One of the hardest genres of film to pull off successfully is a musical. However, Chu and his crew achieved it in this moving masterpiece. Many of the musical numbers and songs were performed live during filming, allowing the actors to pull off a natural and fantastical performance. The music is not an exact note-for-notes recreation, more likely similar to the Original Broadway Soundtrack, also written by Stephen Schwartz.
Starting at the end of “The Wizard of Oz,” “Wicked Part 1” reveals what happened before Dorothy arrived in Oz. After The Wicked Witch of the West is melted by Dorothy, the munchkins, citizens of MunchkinLand, are celebrating the witch’s death, Glinda tells us the origin story of the unusual Elphaba and takes us back to when the witches of Oz met each other.
Back at Shiz University, we meet Headmistress Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh), Elphaba’s sister Nessarose (Marissa Bode), munchkin Boq, (Ethan Slater), and Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey). During this film, Elphaba understands and accepts herself and her powers, as well as being invited to the Emerald City to meet the Wizard, played by Jeff Goldblum. At the Emerald City, followed by Glinda, they find out that the wizard is the actual villain, forcing Elphaba to take a stand and leave everything to go defying gravity and fly across the sky, becoming The Wicked Witch of the West.
“I believe that this movie is important because it teaches the lesson to not judge the book by its cover. It puts us in Elphaba’s place, which I didn’t understand when I watched the stage production. I actually saw Elphaba as the villain until I watched the movie, and the movie breaks it down for us and also gets deeper into the character development. I walked out of the movie theater inspired,” stated Mr. Stephen Williams, our orchestra teacher.
“I think the movie is important because it shows that it is okay to be different, that all you need to do is to find people that love and understand you, I believe that they were able to make the story more realistic in the movie than in the stage production, as we had animated animals and magic, which we don’t see on stage, I was crying walking out of the theaters because it’s a beautiful story about friendship and love,” added senior Emilie Milone.
Throughout this film, we see all characters grow together in love and friendship. “Wicked” gives a place of belonging to all sorts of people; it is a must-watch. “Wicked Part 2: For Good” is yet to be released on November 21, 2025.
Picture Credit:Google
