After a long 20-year journey down the yellow brick road, it is now time to meet the Wizard as cinemas will be changed “For Good”.

Taking one of the most beloved musicals into a cinematic experience proved a lot of challenges until falling into the right hands of Jon M. Chu and Marc Platt. Chu’s film is split into two to give even more space and depth to these character journeys. A previous feature before the trailer explores the practicality of most of the sets and effects featured along that story that feels as if the Wizard created them himself. Chu is dedicated to bringing this story to life in the most realistic way to make not only his actors feel the magic but audiences as they are bout to be astonished by the sound and sight to come ahead

Though we have gotten photos and clips giving a sneak peek into the film, a brand new trailer dives into the core of Glinda and Elphaba’s complicated relationship while teasing the wickedness to come.  These larger-than-life characters deserve a stage as big as them to fully dive into the story and the sprawling landscapes of bubblegum pink and arched hallways of Shiz University deliver on all fronts. Crafting a truly magical setting for these characters to breathe and embody the auras of a well-known universe. Audiences are familiar with Oz from The Wizard of Oz and the limitation of what you can do on stage so Chu and Co. go all out in what a lover of the musical would imagine this world to look like in a way never depicted before. Wicked the film becomes its entity mixing the source material with a brand new vision lead by Jon M. Chu that adds to the legacy of its namesake.

Diving into the origins of these two witches, it is a story heavily reliant on their chemistry or else it does not work. The brand-new look dips into the highs and lows of Glinda and Elphaba through the picture-perfect castings of Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo. It is their differences that bring them together while also allowing division from the forces around them. We get to see fragmented footage of many highly anticipated musical numbers like “Popular” and “What is this Feeling” that employ every set piece into a Broadway-esque presentation.  That being said, small snippets of Grande and Erivo’s vocals are heard on “Popular” and “Defying Gravity” that alone spark tears into the eyes of those who grew up with those songs. Shedding a light on a new type of Grande and Erivo in how they fit the vocals to the characters they are embodying. These two mega stars certainly come together to raise the stakes for Glinda and Elphaba defies gravity. 

Elphaba’s magic is front and center, making one of the central conflicts between her relationship with not only Glinda but the society around her. In class she is making flowers float as her classmates sense something happening. A deeper look into Michelle Yeoh’s Madame Morrible as well as the rest of the Shiz students and a typical day in the life at the school. Unexpectedly Wicked is a story of politics and Chu makes sure to emphasize that in his imagery of burning witches and an unfavorable view of Elphaba set by the higher-ups who plan to use her to their advantage. In addition to the love triangle featuring a very ditzy Johnathan Bailey as Prince Fiyero that drives a further wedge into the two girls. Elphaba’s true power is that she is different and fully embraces that in her journey making the others around her cower in fear from their insecurities.

Jeff Goldblum who has been in Jurassic Park, The Fly, and Independence Day calls Wicked the most magical film he has been on in full display as the Wizard of Oz. No short of terrifying monkeys to add terror to the gelded face of the fake idol. Teaming up with Madame Morrible to lure Elphaba in and then ultimately use her as a sacrifice mainly due to reamining loyal to herself. The Emerald City is given a complete makeover, gleamingly green towering over the two witches further emphasizing the stakes of what Elphaba is about to take on when she crashes out that window. 

Wicked will certainly be a special moment culminating years of trying to get this story on the big screen full of collaborators realizing their dreams have come to fruition. Wicked Part One premieres November 27 in theaters.