Wicked is a well-crafted musical film (Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo) retelling the Wizard of Oz from the Wicked Witch's perspective. Its central message — that the villain was actually the good person misunderstood by a corrupt system — is a postmodern revision of moral categories that Christians should engage critically. The film has significant emotional power and some genuine insight about injustice. It also has mild but present LGBT normalization, moral relativism as its central theme, and witch aesthetics presented positively. 42/100 Caution.
Wicked (2024, directed by Jon M. Chu) is the film adaptation of the 2003 Broadway musical by Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman, based on Gregory Maguire's 1995 novel. It tells the backstory of Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) — the future Wicked Witch of the West — and Glinda (Ariana Grande), before Dorothy's arrival in Oz. The film is Part 1 of two parts, ending at the midpoint of the musical.
The film is visually spectacular and the performances are exceptional — Cynthia Erivo's Elphaba is a genuine vocal and dramatic achievement. It is one of the most technically accomplished movie musicals in years and broke box office records for musical adaptations.
Wicked's central argument is postmodern: the villain of a beloved story (the Wicked Witch) was actually the misunderstood hero, and the hero (the Good Witch) was complicit in a corrupt system. "No one mourns the Wicked / No one cries 'They won't return'" — the show's opening sets up the question: what does it mean to be "wicked"? The answer Wicked provides: wickedness is a social construction imposed by those with power on those who threaten them.
This is a genuine insight when applied to actual injustice — minorities labeled "wicked" by corrupt majorities is a real historical pattern. The concern for Christians is when moral relativism becomes the operating framework: if "wicked" is always a social construction, then there is no genuine wickedness. This erases the biblical category of sin and the need for redemption.
Witch aesthetics: Wicked presents witchcraft sympathetically — the Wicked Witch is the hero. This is the show's premise. Christians who are sensitive to occult imagery should be aware that the entire production is built around rehabilitating a witch character. This is different from Harry Potter's magic-as-adventure framing.
LGBT themes: The film makes the friendship between Elphaba and Glinda a significant emotional relationship and the staging has queercoded elements that are part of the original Broadway production's cultural identity. This is not explicit but is present. Rated PG. See our Christian Faith Films hub and our guide on detailed Wicked analysis. The Plugged In review of Wicked provides thorough content detail. Common Sense Media rates it appropriate for ages 10+.