I have been a fan of Wicked, the musical, since 2005. I was exposed to the soundtrack and it instantly became a mainstay in my compact disc (CD) player, even though I had never seen the musical itself. When I finally did see it, I was blown away. The music is amazing, but the story is so clever and fun while being deep and emotional. When I learned that a Wicked movie was brewing, I was cautiously optimistic. I worried if the movie would stay true to what is a nearly perfect musical, and I knew that Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth, from the original Broadway cast, left some enormous shoes to fill. But with such good starting material, they couldn’t mess it up that much, right? I’m happy to report that they did not, in fact, mess it up, and that it is a great movie to write a Catholic film review about.

Wicked the musical/movie is based on the book Wicked (1995) by Gregory Maguire, which seeks to tell the origin story of the Wicked Witch of the West (Margaret Hamilton) from The Wizard of Oz (1939). Right in the beginning of the film Wicked, Glinda (Arianna Grande) poses the question, “What makes someone wicked? Are they born that way? Or is it something thrust upon them?” That sets the philosophical tone of the story.

Wicked mainly occurs through a flashback, narrated by Glinda. She reflects on her time at Shiz University, where she met and eventually formed a friendship with Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), soon to become the Wicked Witch. Forced to be roommates, the two girls could not be more different and greatly disliked each other. Glinda is beautiful, popular, and desperately wants to be a sorceress. Elphaba, meanwhile, with her striking green skin, is an immediate outcast. She, however, naturally possesses magical powers, which both frightens and intrigues those around her. The school’s principal, Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh) is one who is particularly intrigued, and offers to bring Elphaba under her tutelage. Over time, Elphaba and Glinda become friends. At the same time, Glinda enters into a relationship with the new, handsome, and care-free student in town, Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey). It is obvious to the viewer that there is more to Fiyero than he lets on, and that he and Elphaba share a bit of a connection as well.

The land of Oz in which Wicked is set is a magical place, and in this world animals talk. Unfortunately, the powers-that-be seem to want to silence the animals, and poor Dr. Dillamond (voiced by Peter Dinklage), goat humanoid and history professor, is first threatened, and then abducted, in front of his students. Elphaba, with her compassionate heart, was outraged over the treatment of animals in Oz. When Elphaba is presented with a chance to meet the Wizard (Jeff Goldblum), she thinks her dreams will finally come true. Instead, she is presented with a dark truth that forces her to make a choice. And that’s the end of Part 1, which is Act 1 of the musical. 

Wicked was everything a fan of the musical could want and more. It captured the magic and beauty of the musical well, and the music was more amazing than I could have expected. Beautiful cinematography and editing allowed us the opportunity to see more character interaction via montages than is possible on stage. Ariana Grande was a perfect Glinda. Her comedic timing and beautiful soprano voice were the right combination for the character. Her vocals and Cynthia Erivo’s voice blended so perfectly together that you truly feel like you are watching the only Glinda and Elphaba there’s ever been. The only thing I don’t like about the film is that I have to wait a year for part 2.

From a Catholic perspective, the question of where wickedness, or evil, comes from is a really interesting question in Wicked. We know that evil is a consequence of original sin, which, interestingly, the film depicts. We learn that Elphaba’s mother’s adultery leads to Elphaba’s green skin, her father’s disgust of her, her sister’s disability, and her mother’s eventual death. The film (and musical) do a great job illustrating that, truly, Elphaba was not born “wicked” (and if she’s actually wicked at all is yet to be seen in part 2). She, like all humans, was born good. The sinfulness of others around her influences her. She is compassionate because she knows how it feels to be outcasted, and she is not afraid to take a stand against evil. In fact, it is her very rebellion against the status quo that leads to her “wickedness.” We will see in Part 2 how she becomes the scapegoat, and it is not that dissimilar from how Jesus was treated by his persecutors. The film has many social justice themes, and a practicing Catholic will find themselves sympathizing with Elphaba. Do yourself a favor and go see it, as soon as possible.