Credit: Netflix

Wicked is finally on Netflix, which feels a bit mad, really, because for a while there, you genuinely couldn’t escape it. Remember last year? It was in cinemas, on playlists, across red carpets and all over social media, where Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo’s press tour became a cultural event in its own right. Still can’t escape the memes, people.

Still, underneath all the memes and the massive pink-and-green marketing campaign, Wicked earned its place as one of the defining blockbusters of 2024. The film grossed more than $760 million worldwide, became the highest-grossing adaptation of a Broadway musical and picked up ten Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture. Ariana Grande was nominated for Best Supporting Actress, while Cynthia Erivo earned a Best Actress nod.

The success wasn’t such a surprise once you understood that audiences saw what director Jon M. Chu had built. The production design gives Oz a real, lived-in quality, while the costumes alone make a statement. They built a full-sized train for the journey to the Emerald City and planted millions of tulips for Munchkinland. No word of a lie, they really went grand.

What is Wicked about?

Set before Dorothy arrives in Oz, the film follows Elphaba, played by Cynthia Erivo, a gifted young woman who has spent her life being judged because of her green skin. She accompanies her younger sister to Shiz University, where her uncontrolled magical ability catches the attention of Madame Morrible, a powerful academic who realises Elphaba might be capable of extraordinary things.

That’s where Ariana Grande’s Galinda comes into it, and subtle she is not. Galinda is wealthy and completely fluent in the social politics of Shiz. She and Elphaba are forced to share a room, which goes about as well as you’d expect. Galinda treats popularity like a full-time job, while Elphaba has no patience for pretence. Their early hostility is funny, but within no time, their relationship develops with more care than the usual enemies-to-friends routine.

What changes Galinda is the gradual realisation that Elphaba’s isolation isn’t accidental. It’s created by the people around her, who reduce her to her appearance before she has even spoken. Elphaba, in turn, starts to see that Galinda’s superficiality hides a deep need for approval. Their friendship becomes the emotional centre of the film.

Then the story takes a darker turn when Elphaba goes to the Emerald City hoping the Wizard will help her use her powers for good. Instead, she learns that Oz’s talking animals are being silenced and losing their rights. The Wizard wants her support, but she’s having none of it.

From there, Wicked becomes a story about how powerful people create villains. Elphaba is called dangerous because she refuses to go along with cruelty. Cynthia Erivo has done an excellent job playing Elphaba. As expected, she is strong and still hopeful, which makes the betrayal hit harder.

Ariana Grande, on the other hand, brings most of the comedy as Galinda. Grande had wanted the role for years and still had to audition. She and Erivo also sang live on set, which makes the musical scenes feel more natural and immediate.

So it’s high time that you stream or rewatch this masterpiece that stole hearts.