First they came for the Animals.

“The wicked witch is dead!” echoes across the Land of Oz, and good witch Glinda (Ariana Grande) confirms the relieving news to the citizenry… but long before the uniquely green-skinned witch was pronounced wicked, they were friends at Shiz University. Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) accidently reveals a secret while attending her wheelchair-bound sister Nessarose (Marissa Bode) in starting school, prompting Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh) to enroll the surprising young woman and train her personally in the craft. Recognizing Elphaba’s magical potential — a trait Glinda shows no hint of — Morrible encouraged her student that she might one day meet the Wizard of Oz (Jeff Goldblum) himself. After a transfer student named Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey) arrives intending to corrupt his fellow students into mischief, Elphaba begins to notice a pattern of events reshaping their world that are ignored by others — discovering empathy can become contagious once someone shows enough courage.

Crazy Rich Asians and In the Heights director Jon M. Chu was tapped to create a movie based upon a Broadway musical adapted from a bestselling novel — got all that? If everything Wicked hasn’t come into your circle of influence yet, fear not; the marketing machine is all fired up and won’t take no for an answer. Opening in theaters following Amazon’s Red One last weekend and competing directly with Gladiator II before Disney’s Moana sequel drops the following week, there are plenty of choices competing for ticket sales and eyeballs. Big studio end-of-year musicals can be hit or miss, but last year’s Wonka found its cross-appeal niche in being a family friendly prequel in spite of less than stellar reviews and daring to encroach upon Gene Wilder’s Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. A further complication for Wicked is the film adaptation also being a two-parter; it needs to not only satisfy current fans and newcomers alike but also stick the landing as a complete film on its own — no pressure. With a runtime longer than the stage musical plus a second film waiting in the wings, can these witches conjure up a spell of box office success?

A very rare thing is about to drop into theaters: a beloved story adapted for the stage yet ready-made for the silver screen. Even with the pedigree of the singer/actors — including cameos fans of Broadway knew were coming — Wicked soars from the opening titles to the end credits. Filled with familiar fantasy elements, a dash of Harry Potter, and built around the Judy Garland film long ago certified a classic, all it needed was the perfect pair to lead the production. Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo own their screen time — which is going to make awards time hell when they can’t share Best Actress — and it’s a credit to them both perfectly playing off of one another. Erivo is a master of subtlety, emoting with the slightest movements through heavy makeup, while Grande delivers Glinda’s self-absorbed personality so charmingly it’s entirely believable everyone lets her get away with it. As sunshine and rainbows give way to storm clouds and thunder, the songs punctuate the story highs and lows, culminating in an ending so impactful viewers could be forgiven in forgetting there’s another entire movie to follow. Yes, it’s that good.

Adapted cinematic musicals don’t always resonate with modern audiences — Dear Evan Hansen (with the oldest teenager ever) or the recent Joker: Folie à Deux — and throwing gobs of money into a production to do something horrific is a worse idea — Cats, anyone? The temptation for film directors to add movie elements impossible for the stage often adds nothing but runtime, such as Chu’s side-of-the-building dance sequence for In the Heights or the happily unused alternate ending for Little Shop of Horrors. Of course there are the anomalies, like how all three versions of A Star is Born have been praised and adored by critics and audiences alike. With Wicked, the culmination of great storytelling, adored songs, and smart casting have been fused together by modern filmmaking technology to seamlessly serve the aforementioned elements. In a year with thankfully fewer excessive runtimes up to three hours or more, here’s one many won’t mind at that length; it’s pure entertainment for damn near everyone.

There are a couple of mysteries that remain once the credits roll, presumably to be resolved in Part II, but perhaps not. Wicked is only the first of author Gregory Maguire’s The Wicked Years book series, a mature revisionist version of L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, so expect huge plans to be announced if this hits big. All new melodies when fans won’t wait too long? That’s the penalty… when life is but a song!

Wicked is rated PG for some scary action, thematic material, brief suggestive material, and acknowledging Peter Dinklage has always been the GOAT.

Four skull recommendation out of four