“Wicked” is a musical film that captures the eventual friendship of two witches, complete with its soundtrack, which is faithful to the original Broadway play. Both the play and the movie are loosely adapted from the 1995 Gregory Maguire novel. Directed by Jon M. Chu, the first part of this film was released on November 22. On its opening weekend, the film made $114 million at the box office as theaters played it worldwide.

With a runtime of two hours and 40 min, Part 1 captures the origin story of Elphaba (played by Cynthia Erivo), a young woman who’s widely misunderstood because of her green skin, as she ventures to Shiz Academy. There, she forms an unlikely but esoteric friendship with Glinda (played by Ariana Grande), a student with a desire for popularity.

As the movie continues, so does their adventure. Elphaba and Glinda are invited to meet the Wizard of Oz, yet their encounter soon leads to a crossroad where their relationship begins to take them on different paths.

“Wicked” tells the backstory of two famous characters in the Oz universe, and the movie’s run time added to the depth of both Elphaba and Glinda, allowing viewers to truly understand each character’s motives, qualities, and friendship. Their friendship is the key aspect to this film, and “Wicked” captures the pivotal moment in which they switch from rivals to friends.

Since “Wicked” was originally a musical, the soundtrack is important to the plot of the movie, where characters express their true feelings in a way that dialogue cannot express. The film was successful in keeping the accuracy to the original musical. 12 songs spanned throughout the whole movie, with some songs even having impressive and lively choreography.

Some of the most famous songs that were sung in the movie are “What Is This Feeling?,” “Dancing Through Life,” “Popular,” and “Defying Gravity.” Even though these were the most popular, the entire musical track had vocals that were bone-chilling to listen to.

What made this even more impressive is that the main cast sang all these songs live on set, rather than recording them in the studio. Erivo and Grande, who sang most of the songs, wanted to give their numbers a sense of authenticity, which shows in their live vocals.

“I think all the actors worked hard and it shows in the movie, especially Cynthia Erivo,” Annika Pangilinan (10) said. “She played Elphaba in a way that made me feel every emotion she’s feeling, especially in her singing.”

Still following the original Broadway play, the plot of the movie dealt with heavy themes in accordance with Elphaba’s backstory that evoke strong emotions.

“There were many deep hidden meanings throughout the film, and it portrays them in a very relatable way which makes the movie enjoyable to watch,” Mya Zermeno (12) said.

Visually, “Wicked” was a film with one of the most attention to detail. From the vibrant tulip fields of Munchkinland to the uniformity of Shiz Academy to the vividness of the Land of Oz, the colors and small details capture the true magic of what it means to be in the Oz universe.

Most movies use CGI (computer-generated imagery) to create their movie’s fantastical setting, but not “Wicked.” The director, set builders, and cast came into an agreement to use very little CGI in the movie and decided instead to create the wonderful land of Oz with practicality and originality. Most of the sets and backgrounds in “Wicked” are entirely handcrafted, from the bullet train that Elphaba and Glinda took to Oz to the fully grown and real tulip fields in Munchkinland, the sets were made for functionality and practicality.

“I feel like the first part was faithful to the original Broadway show because it didn’t change much or add much to any of the songs. They kept it clean and original,” Nathan Tan (10) said.

Overall, “Wicked” Part 1 was a phenomenal film that defied people’s low expectations going into the movie with stunning visuals that brought color into Oz and the movie theater, amazing musical numbers with powerful vocals, and a great storyline about friendship. “Wicked” Part 2 is set to release on November 21, 2025, almost exactly a year from Part 1’s release.

“The movie was amazing and brought my love for “Wicked” back alive again. I feel like even if you aren’t necessarily a musical person, I recommend everyone to watch it,” Pangilinan said.