The yellow brick road leading to the Emerald City is being built, but things in Oz aren’t as peaceful as they seem. The Wicked Witch of the West is said to be a threat, but hold up—she’s not really wicked at all. Her name’s Elphaba, and she just wants everyone to know the truth about the so-called Wizard’s lies. But there’s this lady, Madame Mortimer, spreading bad rumors about her, which makes Elphaba look like the bad guy.

Then there’s Glinda—everyone thinks she’s a super powerful good witch from the North, but really? She has zero real magic. Still, everyone adores her. So that’s interesting.

“Wicked” dives into how these two women are friends, though you wouldn’t guess it since they’re like night and day (or pink and black—right?). But when push comes to shove, they team up to change how their story gets told.

The movie takes cues from the famous musical by Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman and Gregory Maguire’s book too—and it splits into two main stories. One part digs deep into politics in Oz with this kinda witch-hunt theme going on…literally! It shows how papers run by Madame Mortimer totally shape what people think—and Elphaba gets caught up in all that drama.

Meanwhile, there’s also this sweet love story happening between Elphaba and Prince Fiyero—a bit of forbidden romance for those who love that kind of thing!
This part of “Wicked” paints a colorful picture of Oz—despite the place being a bit phony, it still dazzles everyone. Even when Oz’s big secret comes out, folks just keep on believing because these days, what you believe matters more than cold hard facts. It’s all about what feels true to you.

Elphaba explains to Glinda why she’s getting all the blame: people need someone to point fingers at so they can feel good about themselves. This swap in roles sheds light on backstories we didn’t know before, like why the Lion, Tin Man, and Scarecrow became who they are or how Dorothy’s house-flipping arrival happened.

The second part of “Wicked” tries to dive into these details a bit seriously at times. But it keeps up with the first half’s fun while offering some memorable songs—though not all hit the right note. There’s this powerful line about feeling wicked for the first time which, despite its serious delivery, fits well in a love story vibe that wasn’t in Baum or MGM’s version. So yeah, it reshapes Oz with love and new tales we didn’t see coming.
In the end, we find ourselves back at the celebration of the Wicked Witch of the West’s death. But this time, everything feels a little different. It’s like we’re seeing it all with new eyes. What seemed one way before now has a whole new twist!