“are people wicked? or do they have wickedness thrust upon them?”

oh my god, this was perfect. for almost every song i had chills and my eyes were teary. i originally saw the broadway show last year, and absolutely adored it, but i don’t think that i fully grasped all the messages and symbolism of it until this film. sorry for the long review, but i have to express how much this movie means to me and many others. 

first, on bigotry and discrimination. as soon as elphaba was born, she was looked down upon for being green, and her skin color causes her to endure prejudice through her whole life. which, this is obviously a reality that many face. as a white woman i can’t speak to this fully, but what elphaba’s character, and cynthia erivo being cast as her means to many is undeniable. the film does not shy away from showing the microaggressions and dehumanizing that many people are forced to endure daily. i mean, the movie has the line “i don’t see color”, the messaging is so clear and so important, especially after recent events that have happened in the US. elphaba’s character & the symbolism of the animals losing their voices is more important than ever before and i’m endlessly grateful this movie was released now. the animals losing their voices is so representative of the time we’re going through right now. but, through all that elphaba faces in the film she ends up accepting herself and loving her appearance, and sacrificing her own wishes to help others. elphaba is a strong & beautiful character that shall be adored by everyone who watches this film.

this movie also shows a beautiful depiction of female friendships. in times like this where it’s rare for hollywood to showcase pure female friendships and cast female co-leads, ‘wicked’ comes at the perfect time. elphaba and glinda start out loathing each other (‘what is this feeling?’) but eventually work together to heal each other and grow through each other’s differences. the scene at the school dance brought tears to my eyes, it’s such a beautiful scene of two strong women coming together when all the world wants is to pull them apart. 

and the disability representation does not go unnoticed either. nessarose is another standout character and happens to be disabled and uses a wheelchair throughout the movie. because of this, people use phrases like “tragically beautiful” to describe her, but she rises above it and proves she is strong and powerful. 

the cast was definitely the best part of this film. cynthia erivo was the PERFECT elphaba and i can’t think of a better cast choice. ‘defying gravity’ is by far the best song on the soundtrack and i started crying in the theatre during this scene. not to mention ariana grande, who was also PERFECT for her role of glinda. she was the perfect amount of bubbly & silly and i absolutely adored her. 

everything about this film down to the choreography, effects & cinematography was positively wonderful and i wouldn’t change a thing. ‘wicked’ was my favorite film of the year, and i could not be more excited for part 2. 

“oh miss elphaba, look at you. you’re beautiful.”

xoxo, reagan 🩷💚