In late November, in theaters all over the world, people were dressing up in green and pink to see the movie, Wicked. Based on the musical of the same name, it follows Elphaba Thropp (Cynthia Erivo) and Glinda Upland (Ariana Grande) through their friendship at Shiz University.

One great aspect of the movie was the costume design. The costumes were designed by Paul Tazewell, who also made costumes for the 2021 film version of West Side Story as well as designing for musicals, such as Hamilton and other hits. The most notable of the costumes is Glinda’s dress in the opening scene. It’s a pink ball gown with many layered skirts and a matching bodice with silver highlights, tied together with a silver crown and a wand with a pink orb at its tip. Another notable dress is the dress Glinda wears to go to a party at the Ozdust Ballroom. It has a diagonal hem, falling just above and below the knees. It has many tulle ruffles, especially on the skirt, and is in shades of pink, orange, and yellow.

As this movie is based upon a musical, the singing aspects are very important. All the singers have incredible voices, but especially the leads: Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo. The first song of the movie, “No One Mourns The Wicked,” is also the first to show off Grande’s incredible vocals. In the song, she sings many long-held high notes – an impressive feat. These vocals do a great job of countering the deeper and heavier parts of the ensemble’s section. The song that introduces Ervio’s singing skill is “The Wizard And I,” the third song of the movie musical. Erivo is a mezzo-soprano, meaning she has a deeper singing voice, and she does a great job at singing both the high and low notes of this song. She also holds out many of these notes which sound incredible in her tone. Finally, “Defying Gravity” has both Grande and Ervio singing together. It is the last song of the musical and the film ends shortly after the song concludes. The song starts with them arguing, the high voice of Grande and the low voice of Erivo contrasting in a great way. They then sing in harmony, and their voices blend beautifully. Near the end of the song, Erivo sings very powerfully and at the very end, holds out a note for a long time. Altogether, all the actors casted in the movie have great singing voices that help to elevate the movie.

The movie also had a lot of dancing scenes. The choreographer was Christopher Scott who also choreographed for the film In the Heights and multiple Disney Channel movies. In the song “What is this Feeling?” there is a dance sequence where Grande leads an ensemble of actors who are holding books and dancing with them. While the dance isn’t very big or dramatic, it matches the mood of the song and definitely adds character to the upbeat song. Arguably the best-choreographed song in the movie, “Dancing Through Life” features many complex moves that add to the fun spirit of the song. In one part, characters dance on spinning ladders and do backflips, other jumps, and stunts. For the other parts of the song, the ensemble dances around (or with) the protagonists, leading to a visually entertaining and interesting scene.

The movie Wicked, as well as the musical, has a very powerful message, adding to the beauty of the film. It talks of the importance of being oneself and not bending to peer pressure, as well as showing how harmful discrimination is. Furthermore, the movie advises against blind faith and putting all your trust in a leader whose true intentions are unseen.

Overall, Wicked is an excellent movie that is deserving of the popularity and praise surrounding it. It is currently nominated for 10 Oscars, including Best Picture. It also won a Golden Globe for Cinematic and Box Office Achievement, with it currently having made $717 million in sales. However, the most impactful and important part of the film is what it retains from its musical predecessor: the message.