If you care to find her, Elphaba will be on streaming services soon. But go and see her on the big screen first.

This film has all the heart of the stage show, and then some.

Be prepared for a very gushing review. Warning: spoilers ahead.

When I first heard the stage show was being adapted into a film, I knew it could go either way. Wicked the movie would either be a spectacular flop, or a phenomenal success. Luckily for us, the perfect people were working on this film.

Learning of Ariana Grande’s casting was a ‘huh’ moment for me. I wasn’t initially sure on the choice.

But, as each interview came out, after learning of her passion for the musical, and finally, seeing the movie, she was THE perfect choice for Glinda. Of course she was funny. As someone who grew up on Victorious, my mind somehow saw Cat Valentine’s actress as a separate entity to the pop star. That’s how good Grande is at immersing herself in her work.

And don’t get me started on Cynthia Erivo. She has the voice of a goddess. Her voice blended so well with Grande’s; their duets were a milkshake of heavenly notes.

The added riff from Defying Gravity, as shown in the trailer, ultimately grew on me, and Erivo’s portrayal of Elphaba, for me, is now THE definitive version of the character. I’ve been blessed to see a truly outstanding live performance, but Cynthia is on another level of rich, nuanced singing.

Splitting Wicked into two parts was also a wise choice. Whilst the entire stage show is the same length as just this part (roughly two and a half hours), the film format couldn’t have kept to that time limit without wrecking the pacing and rushing through plot points that deserve weight. More fleshing out was required. Wicked part one was perfectly paced. No scene, no moment, no micro expression, even, was wasted.

It is especially timely to bring this show to the big screen now. Wicked covers so many issues, from scapegoating (how easily and scarily joyously people find an enemy to unite over), to prejudice, misogyny, racism and more. It is ultimately, at its core, a film all about propaganda and fake news. Our social media feeds are full of invisible string pulling in today’s world, so the film couldn’t have been more needed.

Perhaps the most stunning scene of the film, aside from Defying Gravity, is the Ozdust Ballroom scene, where both girls realise what the other has done to and for the other. Glinda realises how she’s hurt a girl who had done something so incredibly selfless for HER. The only thing she COULD have ever done to truly make amends was to risk sacrificing the very thing most important to her. Her image. Her popularity. And she was ready and willing. She danced with Elphaba in the most wonderfully intimate and intricate scene.

I myself have felt left out of things. Felt different. Been stared at. Laughed at. Elphaba is a character who means the world to me, and this scene nearly broke me with how relatable it felt. And how nice it is to finally feel and be seen by someone.

There are all kinds of subtleties and additions within the film – things that would have been unnecessary for the stage show, from subtle expressions to some quieter moments. During Elphaba’s first magic practice with Madame Morrible, for example, the shadow of her hands, showing stereotypically ‘evil’ witch fingers, quite literally foreshadows the wizard’s illusions/his manipulation of events, and her public image. In Wicked – the play and film versions – the very concept of the Wicked Witch of the West is propaganda.

Elphaba wants to help the animals who are being silenced by the Wizard and Madame Morrible, and her kindness gets turned against her. Her power is used to inflict harm. She ultimately chooses to rebel, to do the right thing, despite knowing that people will be made to see her as the enemy. We need more heroes like that in our world. To do the right thing in spite of the personal risks.

Perhaps the fact that Elphaba is used to being treated in such a way is what allows her to be less afraid of the potential consequences.

Glinda just isn’t ready to let go of her safety net of a positive public image, though. She’s too afraid. But Elphaba understands this. She doesn’t hate her for it. And I think that very fact is both heartbreaking and beautiful.

Overall, the Wicked movie is what you get when everyone working on a project lives and breathes what they’re doing. The passion for the source material is palpable. The interviews with the cast have been enlightening.

It is a story that speaks to those who have ever felt alone. Left out. And the film did the stage show complete justice.

As far as adaptations go, this is a hit for the ages. I for one cannot wait for part two.

9.5/10