The Wicked Witch of the West is born in the dazzling Wicked

You have to be living under a rock to not notice the hype machine behind the film Wicked, the newest film adaptation of a Broadway musical. Close to 30 years ago I tried to read the book upon which it is based, giving a new take from the eyes of the Wicked Witch of the West and how she came to be (and not so wicked in the beginning after all), but I couldn’t get into it at the time. And despite being an admitted musical junkie, I’ve never seen the production, so I went into the movie blind (outside of knowing the one musical hit, Defying Gravity, that everyone knows). All I can say is, sometimes the hype machine misses, but it does not this time.

The film begins where the Wizard of Oz ends: the land of Oz is rejoicing the death of the Wicked Witch, and as we see Dorothy and her friends in the distance, walking the yellow brick road towards the Emerald City, we zoom over to watch the munchkins celebrating. Glinda the Good Witch joins them but doesn’t seem to participate in their happy feelings, and when someone asks if it is true that she was once friends with the Wicked Witch, Glinda becomes introspective and begins her tale. As they say in another great musical, let’s start at the very beginning, a very good place to start.

Elphaba (a name invented for the musical since she never had a name in the first movie, and a play on the original author’s name L Frank Baum) was born green, much to the chagrin of her father, the governor of Munchkinland. He spurns her from the beginning, so life is never good for her, and she is always an outcast wherever she goes. She has one thing going for her: magic, though she doesn’t know how to control it. When her little sister goes away to college, Elphaba goes along to help her get settled, but is noticed by the university sorceress professor, Madame Morrible. Magic has become rare in Oz, and Morrible wants to train Elphaba to become powerful enough to warrant the attention of the Wizard of Oz. It will not be an easy road, especially with the bullying and teasing Elphaba will experience at school. Just when you think she’s hit rock bottom though, an unexpected ally emerges. Galinda (as she was known back then), the school’s most popular student, who also wants to be a sorceress but who shows no talent in magic, pulls a mean trick on Elphaba at a school party. When everyone is laughing at Elphaba, Galinda feels bad for her trick, and pulls Elphaba over and welcomes her in front of everyone, immediately making Elphaba “one of the cool kids.” Thereafter, they become best friends, and when the Wizard finally extends an invitation to Elphaba to meet him in his city, Galinda goes along. What they find there though will change their friendship and the trajectory of Elphaba’s life.

This is a fantastic, high flying movie (literally, once Elphaba pulls out that broom near the end!) with everything you could hope for. Lots of laughs (often provided by the completely self-absorbed Galinda) with equal measures of heart, fear, triumph, and exhilaration, with catchy tunes and gorgeous scenes straight out of the magical kingdom of Oz. Be warned, though they haven’t marketed it as such (purposefully so, I’m sure), this is a “part 1,” with “part 2” due to be released a year from now. Rest assured that the film doesn’t end on a heavy cliffhanger, it just sets you up for what is hopefully an equally thrilling conclusion. ★★★★★