This was my most anticipated movie this year, and one that I’ve been wanting to see for over a decade. It was worth the wait.

When I heard this was not only going to have a 2 1/2 hour runtime, but also only cover half of the musical’s story, I was worried that the script was going to include a bunch of unnecessary subplots to pad out the runtime. Instead, this film expands on what was in the musical to enrich the story and the characters, and I can’t think of anything that I would have cut. The production and costume designs are delightful and immersive. They’re fantastical, but still grounded enough in reality. The cinematography is grand, epic, and gorgeous. While not all of the CGI looked great (the baby lion), most of it worked well (especially Dillamond). I’ve read a lot of criticism of the lighting and color grading, and while I get where people are coming from, I disagree. Not only do I think this looked beautiful, but I think having less bright and flashy colors when compared to The Wizard of Oz matches the perspective of our protagonist. Oz was colorful and fantastical because it was Dorothy’s dream, and the beautiful visuals contrasted with the bleakness of the black and white world that she came from. Oz is not a magical place for Elphaba, so I can forgive a visual style that matches how she sees the world. Could they have done more with the visuals? Sure. But I was happy with what I got.

Wicked has some of most iconic songs in musical theater history, and this film absolutely did them justice. Every musical number is sung beautifully (Erivo and Grande's voices are phenomenal), and Chu shot and blocked them in exciting ways that matched the energy of the music, which kept the songs from feeling monotonous. Standouts include Popular, which has never been funnier, and Defying Gravity, which has never been more powerful. As vehicles for telling the story or connecting us with characters, the songs did their job perfectly, and I haven’t been this happy with a movie musical’s soundtrack in a LONG time.

But as good as all of these things are, Wicked lives and dies on the performances of Elphaba and Galinda. Fortunately, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande are unbelievably good here, and I loved how their different acting styles told us so much about their characters.

At the start, Galinda is spoiled, arrogant, and used to always getting her way, so it makes perfect sense for Grande to give a large performance that utilizes every part of her body to communicate that she commands every space that she enters. She desires attention, and she makes sure that she’s always grabbing it. Every line delivery is perfectly timed to be as hilarious as possible, and even the way she runs cracked me up. Popular is one of the most famous songs from the show, and Grande ensures her rendition is unforgettable with her masterclass comedy. But Grande also nails the sincere emotion and kindness that make Galinda such a beautiful character. She’s not a bad person, but instead is a product of her environment, and watching her relationship with Elphaba go from antagonistic to a genuine friendship was very moving. I loved how, at the Ozdust, she communicated so much to Elphaba without words, and instead with movement. She’s finally seeing Elphaba for who she is, rather than how she was perceived by others, and is apologizing and showing support in a way deeper than just telling her. Another moment I loved was the nuance Grande brought to No One Mourns the Wicked at the beginning, where we can see on Galinda’s face the pain she’s trying desperately to bury as part of her performance for the crowd. As far as I’m concerned, Grande is flawless in this film.

Elphaba is someone who has spent her whole life on the defense due to judgement based on her appearance. She’s had to justify her existence, but also be careful not to say the “wrong” thing so she doesn’t upset her father or sister. She deals with self-loathing brought about by her father blaming her for her sister's condition, which also leads to her being extra protective of Nessa. She has internalized a lot of her emotions and tries to feel as invisible. Cynthia Erivo communicates this through Elphaba’s subdued body language and facial expressions, which contrast greatly with the larger style of Grande’s performance. Erivo uses her eyes to showcase the emotions that Elphaba tries to keep herself from voicing, and the amount of nuance she can convey is incredible. One moment I love is during Popular where Galinda puts the flower in Elphaba’s hair, and they both admire how beautiful she looks in the mirror. Erivo’s eyes tell us so much, such as how touched Elphaba is by Galinda’s gesture, but also how this may be the first moment in her life that she saw herself as beautiful, and she wouldn’t let herself dwell on those feelings for too long. The moments where Elphaba comes the most “alive” are when she sings, which is her expressing her internal emotions not only to herself, but to us. In The Wizard and I, we feel how much hope she has that the Wizard can make her “normal” and help her feel less alone. In What Is This Feeling, we feel her distaste for her roommate, which is motivated by Galinda’s treatment of her up to that point. In I’m Not That Girl, we feel her longing for Fiyero, as well as her heartbreak due to believing that she will never have the love that desires due to her appearance and personality. She does not love herself, and we see this idea manifested in several of the songs listed above. And in Defying Gravity, we feel her anger. She’s angry at the Wizard for not being who she thought he was. She’s angry that the world she wanted to be a part of for so long is cruel and corrupt. She’s angry that she has let others dictate how she saw herself for her entire life. And all of this leads to a feeling of freedom. She looks at the little girl she used to be and reaches out to support her, rather than feel ashamed. She’s finally learning to love herself, and she’s not going to take any more mistreatment. She’s fighting back now. For herself, but also for those the Wizard seeks to oppress. It’s such a powerful journey, and watching Elphaba fly while Erivo belts out those incredible notes gave me goosebumps and moved me to tears. Defying Gravity is one of the greatest sequences I’ve seen in a film this year, and possibly any year.

I loved this film so much. It’s my new favorite film of the year, and definitely an all-timer as well.