Reactions: Captivating, Powerful, Moving
Where to watch: Paid on Apple TV or Prime

I read the book in 2003. I saw the musical in 2005 and 2016. And last weekend I finally saw the movie. I know this is going to make me loathed across the lands, but I never loved the musical. I didn’t dislike it. But it was just… fine. It veered away from the book and/or left out too many important parts for my liking. And I know that’s how musicals work – you can’t tell the entire story from a novel in a two-hour musical production.

However, the move did not disappoint. It included more of the parts from the books that I loved and that made me very happy.

There’s no question that an eventual five-hour movie (the two parts will surely total five hours combined), has much more room to tell a more nuanced story and build deeper characters. And Wicked does just that. I felt so much more connected to Elphaba’s fight (though I do feel the could still have done more with the plight of the animals to help us understand Elphaba’s moral compass on the topic). And Glinda and Elphaba’s friendship blossoms on the silver screen in a way it could never do on a Broadway stage. The story enhancements might be my favorite part of the movie compared to the play.

Visually, Wicked is nothing short of breathtaking. The special effects majestically brought it to life for me. I saw it in the evening and worried ahead of time that I might get sleepy during such a long movie. But once the film started rolling, I’m not sure if I even blinked once. I couldn’t take my eyes off the screen for fear of missing something.

And, who amongst us ever thought that anyone could ever bring these characters to life better than Idina and Kristin? Having seen them perform in Los Angeles, in my mind Elphaba is Idina and Glinda is Kristin. But I was proved wrong. Ariana Grande was the most perfect Glinda I could have ever hoped for. I loved every hair toss and innocent stare she delivered. And Cynthia Erivo will always and forever be my Elphaba from this day forward. Her portrayal isn’t exactly how I imagined the character when I read the book, but I think she made the character even better than what I’d imagined! I can’t review this movie without mentioning and raving about the chemistry between these two characters and actors. The scene when their friendship blossoms at the dance made me sob happy tears. I love each of them in their roles and I love them together as a pair even more.

Now for my thoughts on the musical aspect. Look, sometimes I love a musical movie, sometimes I don’t. I loved Chicago back in the day. Obsessed. But then I’ve been perfectly neutral on plenty of others. Mamma Mia? Fine. Into the Woods? Meh. Hairspray? Cute but whatever.

Wicked stands alongside Chicago for me as a completely engrossing and spectacular Broadway musical movie. It builds on the musical. It adds depth. And they picked two fucking amazing voices in Ariana and Cynthia.

On that note, the last scene and song, Defying Gravity, had me in tears for 5+ minutes. Cynthia’s voice gripped my heart and stabbed into my soul. And the visual effects of that scene are unparalleled. Once again, they took the famous, show-stopping scene that leads to intermission in the Broadway play and they turned the dial up to 11. Cynthia belted, “No wizard that there is or was / Is ever gonna bring me down.” The lights came up. I sat paralyzed. Sobbing. Happy. Moved.

If you can’t already guess, I highly recommend this movie.