Wicked Part 1 has turned out to be one of the biggest releases of the year, in its genre as well as based on its Box office numbers with over $524 million worldwide. The film led by Ariana Grande also broke records at the global box office and has turned out to be one of the best films of the year due to its cast, performances as well as the memes that came through during the film’s promotion. For the unversed, Wicked is a re-imagining of the classic story The Wizard of Oz. The spin-off is from the perspective of Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West.
The 2024 film follows the story of Elphaba, a student in the magical land of Oz who eventually becomes the Wicked Witch of the West and is the main antagonist of the original The Wizard of Oz film. The story is originally based on the Broadway play of the same name, which was adapted from a dark novel from 1995 by author Gregory Maguire called Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West.
Elphaba who is played by Cynthia Eric is born with green skin and ostracized because of it. As she grows up and attends Shiz University her life changes especially after she meets Glinda played by Ariana Grande. While the two hate each other at first, they go on to become best friends and also travel together to Oz and meet the Wizard. While they wish to advocate for the rights of the animals in front of the Wizard, it soon becomes evident that the Wizard is a charlatan.
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pictures that give off elphaba fiyero and glinda energy to me pic.twitter.com/AK8BKmXj3B
— syd ✿ saw wicked (@petermjbags) December 10, 2024
not to cornplate wicked, but the way elphaba’s skin color shifts for a split moment as the light from the pink stained glass neutralizes her green complexion just before she sings about the wizard degreenifying her is such a brilliant detail pic.twitter.com/rSnSoR06Ox
— AARON (@lidolmix) December 12, 2024
He only wished to use Elphaba’s magic for his own good. It then leads to Elphaba becoming the villain of the main story, the Wizard of the Oz, but that will be explored in part 2 of the film. It is most likely set to show a very different side to the story widely known. What made the film one of the best of the year also included the songs written for the film, the details in the plot, the costumes, the production, and set designs which took the audience back to the Wizard of Oz or the Wicked Broadway play.
The film is also called a near-perfect adaptation of Act 1, despite clocking in at two hours and 40 minutes, which is only five minutes shorter than the entire stage production. The strength of the film is most definitely the friendship between Glinda, Elphaba and Ariana, Cynthia do not miss a single beat throughout the long runtime. Their best moment together comes with the dance where Elphaba keeps her head high despite having tears in her eyes and Glinda finally shows up for her support. Both are known as performers and singers, and one of the best songs in the film is Defying Gravity which briefly has also developed into a social movement. It also became the cliffhanger for the film.
this scene alone makes every argument against wicked invalid to me idgaf pic.twitter.com/SmCf7hiF0D
— ale (@17POSTIONS) December 13, 2024
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Part 1 ended on a high note, and the same is expected from Part 2. The film has much to cover, from Elphaba’s villainous arc to Glinda and Shiz University showing support in one way or another while also providing a conclusion to the injustice towards the Ozian animals. The follow-up is expected to be released in November 2025.
Wicked Part 2. November 21, 2025. pic.twitter.com/U5BOoGiCG6
— Wicked Movie (@wickedmovie) September 12, 2024
Cover Image: Instagram
