Defying the Critics: How the Wicked Movie Mastered the Art of Stage-to-Screen Adaptation

Wicked fans, rejoice! If you love musicals, make sure to catch it in theaters this month on November 21, 2025! If you don’t know already Wicked For Good is previously known as musical but has since then become a stage to screen adaption with the first part of the movie Wicked that came out November 22, 2024. Since then the movie has became very popular in theaters and social media. Let’s discuss the themes that made the popular musical stage to screen adaption a success despite the struggling of creating a adaption.

The Power of Female Friendship & The Unrivaled Vocal Performances

In the first initial movie of Wicked the depiction of a authentic female friendships and allyship was heart warming and healing, and realistic to see as a audience member. Often we see female friendships on screen as just messy catfights and we don’t see the raw emotion or connection behind it. However, Glinda and Elphaba’s friendship was messy because it was built on this initial hatred they had due to not only their rivalry over Fiyero but because of disagreements about politics and morality. But the takeaway lies in their power to love and accept each other despite their conflicts and difference of opinion leading to a form of allyship and being able to support someone who has a different path than your own. This allowed the adaption to have more of a personal and realistic touch to our current generation. Additionally, Actors Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo did a phenomenal job in their theatrical vocals. They were a essential component to the success of the adaption with their emotional and physical intensity and their theatrical dance performances on screen that allowed for the audience to feel the rawness and power of their voices. Evrio intimately and beautifully conveyed the pain of Elphaba through her music. We felt her pain, her fury and the clarity as she was singing and acting. Ariana also did a beautiful job at connecting the audience to their characters and adding layers of raw emotional depth to Glinda’s journey.

The Anti-Heroine Trend: Why We Rooted for the Wicked Witch

Another defining theme of the Wicked movie that was a major component to their success was the anti-heroine story of Elphaba. The anti-heroine story has become a popular genre that Gen Z and Millennials have become obsessed with. The film successfully conveys Elphaba’s alienation and the prejudice she faces being a political dissenter being labeled as “Wicked” and “Evil by a corrupt and fear-mongering establishment. They show her persistent struggle navigating the norms of Emerald City which utmately encourages conversation about issues of our own in relation to our injustice system. Her defiance and song defying gravity is not just a song or lyric but a anthem for anyone who felt alienated and “otherd” and chooses to stay authentic.

Defying Gravity

Now lets talk about the most captivating part of the movie that sent chills down the spine of every audience member in the movie theater. The cinematic choreography redefining “Defying Gravity. Director Jon M did a successful job at creating a iconic musical number as a cinematic action sequence. The camera allowed us to view the character in both wide shots and high angles creating intimate closeups to capture vulnerability as we look into the actors eyes. The choreography in the crowd scenes involving the flying monkeys and magical moments make the film feel real and grounded instead of just theatrical.