Photo by Kate Gaffney.

Wicked: Part One came out in theaters on Nov. 22, just in time for the busy holiday season. This movie was an instant hit among most demographics because of many unifying messages, like friendship, determination, and some relatable topics to today, like prejudice and corruption.

The movie dramatically begins at the end of The Wizard of Oz story when the Wicked Witch of the West melts. The movie opens with Glinda the Good Witch, played by Ariana Grande, belting out incredible whistle notes that many cannot even comprehend being possible to do. Elphaba, played by Cynthia Erivo, arrives at Shiz University, and this is where it is apparent that the sets in this film are above almost any today. 

The towering buildings used as dormitories and classrooms for students at Shiz are elegant and old fashioned, with aspects of The Wizard himself woven throughout the walls of the university. The set of the Emerald City is another place that I want to explore, because of the illusion of endless possibilities there. The different shades of green creates depth and mystery like nothing I have seen in a movie before.

Once Elphaba gets acquainted with the school, she sings one of the musical’s most famous songs, “The Wizard and I,”  where she details her aspirations to work with The Wizard someday. Erivo shows off her astonishing voice towards the end of the song, which foreshadows the powerful notes she will sing later in the movie. 

The choreography throughout the movie is something to marvel at. In the song, “What Is This Feeling?” which details the turmoil Elphaba and Glinda feel for each other, backup dancers show off quick footwork and hand movements which makes you not want to look away. Detailed choreography is also presented later in the movie, when Fiyero, a new student and prince, sings “Dancing Through Life,”when he and other students dance on narrow tables and railings. The set of the Emerald City allowed endless possibilities of creativity, and Wicked’s choreographer, Christopher Scott, used as much as possible. Dancers were seen leaping and tapping down gold and green staircases.

Major themes in Wicked are censorship and prejudice, which was shown through animal professors at Shiz University. Dr. Dillamond, a goat who taught history, was removed from his esteemed teaching position after various other animals were being censored for using their voice to stand up against injustices, merely because they were animals. Clearly, this is an exaggerated and fantastical version of what happens today, but the idea is the same; people are being censored for what they believe in each day from tech companies or the government. 

The corruption in government is another major aspect of the movie, as The Wizard himself is behind the censorship of these animals, even though he leads others to believe he accepts all. This also happens in foreign countries, as governments prevent people from speaking out about what they believe in. 

The vocals throughout the film are almost incomparable to any other movie. Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande sang every single one of their songs live on set, which rarely happens. While singing “Defying Gravity,”one of the most impressive yet most difficult on the soundtrack, Erivo did her own stunts, like flipping through the air using a harness. She even did this while singing the monumental note at the very end of the song, which has gone viral on social media since the film premiered. Grande showed off her voice during the famous tune, “Popular,”which follows Glinda helping Elphaba come out of her shell. Each of the actress’ performances are for the ages. Erivo’s powerful head voice and Grande’s whistle notes are what set them apart from one another, but also what makes it sound so good when combined.

However, when listening to the soundtrack on streaming platforms, the transition from dialogue to vocals seems to be somewhat choppy or discombobulated. Nonetheless, it does not take away from the talent that the actresses possessed.

A paramount moment in the picture was when the original actors of Elphaba and Glinda on Broadway made a cameo. In the song “One Short Day”, Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth appeared to amaze the audience with their one of a kind vocals, describing how the Land of Oz was created through song.

The special effects of the film, including the flying monkeys and other animals in Oz, were created using CGI (computer generated imagery). The attention to detail makes them look incredibly realistic to the human eye. Post production ended as early as late September of this year, and the filming and editing processes took many years, a lot to do with the Writer’s Guild of America Strike.

Overall, I would give this movie a 10/10. I would recommend this movie to anyone because it covers a wide variety of topics and has something for anybody to enjoy.