The movie adaptation of “Wicked” has been highly anticipated by my friends and I for years now. I knew with the casting of Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo that this movie was going to be incredible, but it somehow managed to exceed my expectations.
Everyone has seen the interviews of Grande and Erivo crying over every question about their experience working on this film, and I understand why now. They were born to play Galinda and Elphaba, so I’m sure having this dream realized has been an incredibly emotional journey for them.
The opening song to the musical, “No One Mourns The Wicked,” was perfect. Grande’s vocals don’t disappoint and watching her grieve her best friend in the opening scene was beautiful. The next scene takes place at Shiz University, where Galinda and Elphaba first meet. Grande is quite funny in this role and conveys Galinda’s quirky aloofness brilliantly.
Elphaba’s first song, “The Wizard and I,” comes shortly after their first meeting. Something I found compelling about Erivo’s on-screen Elphaba was that you could really see it in her eyes how much she longs to be accepted. I knew she was an incredible singer, but I was impressed with her acting in this role. When she cried, I cried. When she was excited, so was I.
My favorite song from the film, “What Is This Feeling,” was next. Grande and Erivo’s voices mix so well, creating such a satisfying listening experience in the theater. Their discontent with each other was so funny to watch play out in this scene. I was particularly a fan of the choreography for this song, which you have probably seen people recreating on TikTok.
Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero is introduced shortly after. I, along with every other woman in the theater, immediately fell in love. Bailey is so charming and charismatic, so he plays Fiyero perfectly. I was surprised to learn that he can sing quite well. “Dancing Through Life” was a big highlight for me. This is the scene where we see Galinda and Elphaba start to understand each other for the first time and become friends. It’s a real tear jerker.
“Popular” is one of several songs from this film that I feel were better than the original. Grande is hilariously adorable and you can just tell that she is really in her element here. The next song is Elphaba’s “I’m Not That Girl” and it brought tears to my eyes. She realizes that she is in love with Fieyro, but can never be with him because he is in love with Galinda.
Elphaba and Galinda arrive in the Emerald City, which looks beautiful on screen. I remember feeling sad that the film was coming to an end soon, as act one ends after Elphaba meets the Wizard. “One Short Day” features Idina Menzel and Kristen Chenoweth, the original Broadway Galinda and Elphaba. It was so cool to see them interact with Grande and Erivo on screen, and I thought it was nice that they were included.
The movie ends with Erivo singing “Defying Gravity.” This performance was so powerful that you could hear a pin drop in the theater. I wish that they hadn’t advertised her battle cry so much before the film released, as it wasn’t a shock to hear that hers was different from the original.
All in all, I was incredibly impressed by every decision made in this movie and I will be seeing it again. This film was just part one, so I’m excited to find out what they do with part two!