Over the break, my sister and I watched the movie “Wicked”. It came out a while back, on November 22, 2024. The movie itself has an amazing musical score, and beautiful scenes that make this land and university where the first part takes place, a magical and whimsical place. The actresses and musical directions that the movie displays elevates the experience when watching the movie.
The movie is not afraid of truly being a musical, which is something that a lot of musical adaptations struggle with accepting, since many directors/producers believe that audiences would not take the movie as seriously as it should be.
The plot revolves around a rather strange friendship between two witches who attend a college for all gifted and talented witches and wizards. Elphaba, fills in the role of the misunderstood, misfit protagonist who eventually becomes the Wicked Witch of the West, and Glinda, the popular and rather bubbly girl who later transformers to the Good Witch. It challenges traditional perceptions of morality, presenting the idea that people are not as one sided (good or evil), but rather they are shaped by their circumstances and choices, as well as exploring the consequences of power, prejudice, and the struggles for social justice. As Elphaba confronts the injustices of the ruling regime, her transformation into the “wicked” figure contrasts with Glinda’s rise to power as the beloved “good” witch.
This can be seen when hearing and witnessing the songs such as No One Mourns the Wicked and Defying Gravity. The songs listed early allow for social commentary like how discriminatory the people from Oz are quick to judge someone’s wickedness based on people’s physical differences.
To conclude this movie does an amazing job exploring many themes in a long (almost) three-hour movie that combines the spectacle of magic, and emotional depth, as well as highlighting the complex journey of all the characters in the musical as they are defined in their roles in a world filled with expectations, power struggles and prejudice.
