As one of the few gay men I know who has never seen the stratospherically popular original musical “Wicked,” I find this fact to be both a curse and a blessing. It’s a curse because I lack the emotional context that has moved so many others during key moments in the film. However, it’s also a blessing because, aside from knowing a few of the original songs, I can watch the movie without comparing it to the musical. 

I am a huge fan of the original 1939 film, which is considered one of the greatest films of all time and is widely regarded as the most influential film in Hollywood history. While “Wicked” is set in the world of the original film, it completely reinvents and reinterprets the story. 

Almost immediately after I started watching, it became clear why this film means so much to people, particularly queer individuals. The musical is based on a novel written by a gay man, its queer-coded nature is palpable. Beyond a queer interpretation, anyone who didn’t peak during high school can relate to the main character, Elphaba. I was surprised at how much of the story takes place in a school-like setting and how it reminded me of my own unhappy school days. The scene that made me cry stirred deep childhood insecurities and then reassured. 

Unlike other musicals that cast attractive, talented actors who can’t sing or pop stars who can’t act, both Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande prove that they can powerfully sing and act. Grande, in particular, was born to play this role and was mesmerizing on screen. The campy cinematography, dazzling costumes, and detailed production design were all impressive.

Weirdly the story reminds me of ‘Shrek’. What ‘Shrek’ did to subvert and reinterpret the meaning of a fairytale and beauty, ‘Wicked’ does to counter the traditional notions of who is a villain and who is a hero. As the film opens with the profound question ‘are people born wicked or do they have wickedness thrust upon them’? Nature or nurture. The film’s answer is clear. With oddly Hannibal Lecter’s words from the ‘Silence of the Lambs’ echoing in my mind: ‘our Billy wasn’t born a criminal, Clarice. He was made one through years of systematic abuse.’ Elphaba is abused but she never becomes Wicked. 

The film has some oddly timed climaxes and is a bit lengthy. However, it ultimately emerges as a moving, campy wonder and is the best musical film in years. Its message resonates painfully in our troubled times. We inhabit our own Emerald City of illusions, manipulated by a “man behind the curtain,” where our heroes often turn out to be villains, and the wicked are good. 8/10