Wicked (Christian Movie Review)

While not without a few worldview implications for Christians to consider, Wicked is a fun, crowd-pleasing spectacle filled with enough infectious music, whimsical visuals, and compelling performances to satisfy audiences.    

About the Film 

Start clicking those ruby shoes together; it’s time to head back to the wonderful world of Oz. Birthed as a novel by Gregory Maguire, Wicked—a revisionist origin story of the Wicked Witch of the West—has been “Defying Gravity” to reach greater heights as a smash-hit Broadway musical. Now, boasting an all-star cast and a quiver full of earworm songs, the long-awaited film adaptation is poised to become one of the most “Popular” films of the year. While not without a few worldview implications for Christians to consider, Wicked is a fun, crowd-pleasing spectacle filled with enough infectious music, whimsical visuals, and compelling performances to satisfy audiences. 

The movie is a cinematic extravaganza from start to finish. Opening with the iconic flying monkeys soaring over a lush landscape, the scene immediately immerses the audience into the fantastical world of Oz. The visual spectacle affords viewers a perspective the theatrical play (and even the original The Wizard of Oz film) could not. With lustrous visuals and elaborately choreographed musical scenes, Wicked relentlessly endeavors to dazzle audiences (almost to the point of exhaustion). In other circumstances, the copious good-but-not-spectacular digital effects might ring hollow, but in the framework of this film’s playful, fairytale aesthetic, the razzle-dazzle presentation works. 

Audiences will expect show-stopping singing and dancing (this is a musical, after all!). And, for the most part, the film delivers. The songs are already classic hits that have had listeners “Dancing Through Life” for years, and both Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande have the musical prowess to do them justice. However, the supporting cast, particularly the male characters, fall slightly short of achieving the same high standard. That is not to say the music is bad, but the quality does take a hit whenever the two leading ladies take a backseat (which, thankfully, rarely happens). Despite a steady parade of musical numbers, the film’s inventive choreography helps avoid a repetitive feeling. In Wicked, the music remains the main event. It is performed with irresistible earnestness that may even turn a heartless tin-man into a “Sentimental Man.”

As with many musicals, at times the plot seems to exist mostly just to get characters into position for the next elaborate musical sequence. Despite an overlong, non-munchkin-sized runtime of 2:41, there are lengthy stretches where no significant story developments seem to happen. What makes these non-musical portions compelling, however, is the relational dynamic between Elphaba (Erivo) and Glinda (Grande). They may sing “I’m Not That Girl,” but their performances prove otherwise. The pair has undeniable chemistry, and their unexpected friendship infuses the story with loads of heart.   

Erivo is excellent as Elphaba (the future “Wicked Witch”). She expertly communicates her inner turmoil through her sublime voice, but she also effectively emotes through her eyes, giving glimpses of the hurt and insecurity that hides behind her tough exterior. Ariana Grande is a perfect complement to her, adding much-needed levity to the emotional drama. She is endearing and charismatic, despite being a self-absorbed character who could easily have come off irritating and unlikeable. Erivo may deliver the better performance (with more weighty material to work with), but Grande is the film’s standout character. 

As an entertaining spectacle, Wicked is a success. As an embodied worldview or piece of cultural commentary, the film is a bit murkier. Christian viewers won’t need to look far to find “Something Bad” that requires consideration. The story’s musing on the nature of good and evil (see below) and the more sexually progressive land of Oz make Wicked thornier than its PG rating might imply, at least for younger viewers.

In the end, living up to the immense hype and the lofty legacy of the beloved Broadway play is a daunting task, but Wicked manages to hit the right notes. This is easily one of the best musicals in years, and I suspect fans of the stage play will be satisfied. Despite being only Part One of a larger story (and ending on a dramatic cliffhanger), Wicked doesn’t feel like it cheats the audience. Rather, the satisfying conclusion will send audiences into the (yearlong) intermission happy, with an eager anticipation for next year’s conclusion. Christian viewers looking for a worldview that aligns with their own on every point will need to look beyond the borders of Oz, but audiences with a hankering for some fairy tale fun and enjoyable music should find everything they seek here.

Evil: Nature v Nurture?

 “No One Mourns the Wicked,” but Wicked explores sweeping themes about the nature of good and evil to question if anyone truly is wicked at all. In the movie’s opening scene, Glinda poses the question directly: “Are people born wicked? Or do they have wickedness thrust upon them?” Implied in the philosophical quandary is the question of moral responsibility. Is each individual accountable for their actions, or are we merely passive participants shaped by cultural influences out of our control? 

The movie’s central narrative exercise—to recontextualize an iconic villain as a sympathetic protagonist—leaves little ambiguity about its ultimate answer to that question. Elphaba may be destined to become perceived as the “Wicked Witch of the West,” but Wicked suggests that prejudice, discrimination, and social class are to blame. According to Wicked, individuals are fundamentally good, but society is a corrupting force. Thus, to push back against evil requires broad societal change, rather than individual introspection. 

Wicked is largely a product of its time. Elements of contemporary conversations and debate are readily apparent in the “people are good, society is bad” framework. These are reflected in hints of Critical Race Theory or social binaries of oppressed/oppressors, privileged/disadvantaged etc.. The students at Shiz University are almost exclusively categorized by skin color, physical disabilities, body type, and sexual orientation.  

Biblically speaking, the answer to the culpability of evil is clear: “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). That is not to say social structures and institutions never need reform, but scripture answers Glinda’s question emphatically – people are indeed born wicked. Nobody is truly good but God alone (Mark 10:18). Social change can help alleviate evil’s effects, but such developments will not lead to salvation.

Despite deviating from biblical truth at this base level, Wicked is nevertheless a timely reminder that—to some extent—people are indeed products of our upbringing and environment. Simple and hasty categorizations—such as “wicked witch”—are easy to adopt, but they never tell the full story. Wicked is a call to love and accept the outcasts, primarily those who appear outwardly different, and that is a message Christ Himself exemplified.