Defying Expectations: Wicked Casts a Spell on the Big Screen

Ash Merritt 
Editor-in-Chief
  Wicked came out on November 22, 2024 with a story about a female named Elphaba Tropp, who is also known as the wicked witch of the west. She was named after the author's name L. F. Baum, which sounds like El-pha-ba if spoken slowly. Furthermore, this story has been retold in various forms, with the movie adapting the Broadway show into a two-part series. The first film expands on the events of Act One, extending its runtime to two hours and forty minutes.
SPOILERS AHEAD!!
  This story starts where The Wizard Of Oz ends, with the wicked witch of the west’s death. In response to her demise, the town rejoices in their newfound freedom and removes all warnings of the witch. Then, they get a visit from the good witch, Galinda, who starts the story of her and Elphaba’s college days together. She explains the start of Elphaba’s ‘wicked’ side with the scandal of Elphaba's mother and a magician known as Oscar Diggs who entices the women with a green elixir. This elixir then causes Elphaba to be born with a sickly green color which is not taken well by her mother and father figure, Frexspar. They turn to Dulcibear to take care of the child and the nanny bear takes care of Elphaba in her childhood years. Later in the movie, Elphaba follows her sister, Nessarose, who was accepted into Shiz University, which is run by Madame Morrible. They then have an argument, and Frexspar tells Elphaba to follow her sister to make sure she is alright. Miss Cottle meets Elphaba and becomes shocked by Elphaba and assumes she is enrolled. Cottle exclaims it is a slight gulch in the road which is referenced from the movie The Wizard of Oz and the neighbor to Dorothy, Miss Almira Gulch. Furthermore, there is an argument over wheeling Nessa around that has Elphaba use her magic unwillingly to make a multitude of items float above the students. This progresses Elphaba’s journey by being enrolled by Morrible with the intention of helping Elphaba with her magic. That displeases Glinda, and she unintentionally agrees to let Elphaba share the suite.
  With Elphaba's enrollment, the movie features numerous Easter eggs referencing both the Broadway show and The Wizard of Oz. One such nod to the original Wicked Witch of the West occurs when Elphaba tries to harness her powers during a session with Morrible, paying tribute to Margaret Hamilton’s iconic portrayal of the character. Another is when a professor by the name of Dr. Dillamond, a goat, meets with some old colleagues to talk about the way animals are losing their jobs and ability to talk. This is a deeper version on the animal treatment than the Broadway show, and gives light to the animals hardships. In the movie, Elphaba occasionally experiences visions of the future, two of which are shown. One vision depicts Dr. Dillamond being thrown into a cage, struggling to speak, and letting out a distressed goat sound. Another vision that Elphaba has is when she sees a celebration of her; she thinks it is a positive sign of her future. However, the celebration she sees is the celebration of her death at the start of the movie. 

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