***** 4 Stars

0 Tissues

Good for ages 8 and up

Wicked is an indisputable triumph.

Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande as the co-stars simply could not be better, the singing and staging are beautiful and the complexity of the plot will hold the interest of adults as well as children. 

This is not just a children’s story – the themes are intensely political and environmental and the message about prejudice is hard to miss.

Age old questions about good and evil are raised again and again. The mean girl trope is trotted out and it is unclear how it will all be resolved….and yet we kind of know. 

References to other films are fun to spot – Harry Potter, Legally Blond, Shrek and others are there in spades.

And why do I give this film an 8 and up rating? Well, the flying monkeys are still really scary – and so is the big Oz mask. I was afraid of those monkeys, and the big Wizard when I was a child and watched the original – and your children may have nightmares just as we did – if you decide to bring the little ones along. 

Also, as I said earlier, this film is complex. The plot is not easy to follow and the usual expectations around who is good and who is not is turned on its head. But of course, that’s the point of this film.