“Wicked,” the long-anticipated adaptation of the Broadway mu-sical, made its way to theaters on Nov. 22. This compelling prequel to “The Wizard of Oz” captivates audiences through its amazing vi-suals, powerful performances and slight reimaginings of the iconic songs fans have adored for years.

One of the most intriguing things about this movie is the acting by Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, who gave the musical a fresh new spin. As a musical fan, I have seen many actors play Glinda and Elphaba, but I have to say they are my new favorites.

Erivo’s performance as Elphaba in “Wicked” takes you away. It makes you feel for her character and understand the pain of being cast aside and treated like an outsider due to her green skin. Seeing remain kind-hearted through it all, continuously helping others who are also outcasts, the audience experiences her journey to being crowned the “Wicked Witch of the West.”

Grande’s performance in “Wicked” is also astounding. At the beginning of the movie, she conveys an irritating character perfectly, coming off as arrogant and rude to the audience, especially toward Elphaba. But throughout the film, her character goes through a drastic switch due to Elphabas influence, where she tries to be kinder and put others above her. Although she remains arrogant there is a sense of character development.

So much so that by the end of the movie you kind of feel sorrow for her because she isn’t perfect although that’s what so many expect her to be.

But this wouldn’t be a musical movie review if we didn’t talk about the music. Having to perform songs that have been done again and again seems like a challenge, but the cast of “Wicked” proved that wrong with every song. Each song is beautifully sung, produced and choreographed without losing any of the theatrical grandeur in transition for Broadway to film. Songs like “Defying Gravity” and “Popular,” often revered in the musical theater world, still had the same Broadway charm.

Visually the film was a beautiful mirage of color. It showed how much love was put into this film with the amazing CGI and sets built to create an immersive and fun experience for the audience. Just the amount of detail on the scary flying monkeys’ faces was enough to let me know no expense was spared in the production of this film.

Despite some minor flaws like underdeveloped supporting characters like Fiyero and the baby lion shown in the movie who turn out to be major characters in the main plot of “The Wizard of Oz, “Wicked” is still a must-see movie even if you aren’t a Musical or Broadway fan. It takes you on a captivating and magical journey through the world of Oz. This movie promises to cast a spell on all who watch it.