The “Wicked: For Good” countdown on my phone, which I’d set a year ago, went off the second I woke up the morning of Nov. 21. It was officially “Wicked: For Good” day. As soon as school ended, I sprinted into the AMC theater in my pink hoodie and dark green sweatpants, astonished by the shiny Glinda tiaras and Elphaba witch hats surrounding me. With my Wicked popcorn bucket in hand, I found my seat in the theater, knowing this was going to be the best three hours of my life.

The screen panned to a bright introduction with a tulip field background, reading “Wicked: For Good” in white bubble letters, and I was hit with immediate flashbacks from the first movie. I had full chills once I heard the first instrumentals of the opening song, “Every Day More Wicked,” where resonant vocals combined with dreamy instrumentals transformed the theater into the magical land of Oz.

Moments later, Elphaba's solo song “No Good Deed” began to play—one of the most captivating moments of the entire film. I could not picture anyone other than Cynthia Erivo playing Elphaba. Her way of capturing vulnerability and emotional depth through her performance was incredible. Erivo said in an article that she preferred to be painted green every day rather than have the producers use CGI, and she wanted Elphaba to have freckles, showing her careful effort to humanize Elphaba after her portrayal as a villain throughout “The Wizard of Oz.”

Along with her incredible acting skills, Erivo has such a powerful voice, and she did a tremendous job acting while unleashing perfect harmony, which added to every scene. Specifically, her acting and vocals in “No Good Deed” were just another incredible aspect of the film. She really became Elphaba.

Only a few scenes after Cynthia killed “No Good Deed,” the song “March of the Witch Hunters” began. The harmonizing ensemble voices, mixed with Ethan Slater's powerful voice, had my jaw on the ground. Spoiler alert: Ethan Slater's portrayal of Tin Man was among the film’s best and most haunting. Slater’s acting shines to the point where I begin to grow scared of his character; he erupts in explosive rage towards Elphaba after believing she was to blame for his skin turning silver and his body becoming tin. This anger results from the scene in which Nessarose, the Wicked Witch of the East, misuses and steals Elphaba's spellbook, attempting to cast a love spell on Slater’s character, Boq. Since Nessarose is unfamiliar with spells, her attempt to make Boq fall in love with her fails. Consequently, Elphaba tries to save Boq, but he instead transforms into the Tin Man due to the misusing of the spellbook.

Slater’s solo in the song “March of the Witch Hunters” became one of my personal favorite musical moments. The song portrayed a group of angry civilians, falling for all the propaganda that had spread regarding Elphaba, joined together to take her down. Boq's solo included his raw emotion toward the witch, showing how quickly the characters had developed from friends to enemies, as Boq and Elphaba were former classmates.

The scene I feared the most was only seconds away. I knew I was about to become an emotional wreck. The second I heard “I’ve heard it said…” tears began to flow down my cheeks. I knew Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande were about to leave me in shambles with their majestic voices, making a devastating song, “For Good,” even sadder. The acting in this scene, as well, was beyond anything I could have imagined. The pure emotion and tears that flowed through the song captivated the audience and initiated the scene in Elphaba's tower, where Glinda and Elphaba say their final goodbyes to each other through the emotional duet.

There was not a dry eye in the theater. My sister, senior Sienna Meyers, was shaking with tears in the seat next to me. I thought I would need to step out when they panned to Elphaba on one side of the door with Glinda on the other, knowing this would be the last moment the two would share together in their beautiful friendship.

Unfortunately, the film came to an end only minutes after “For Good.” I didn’t feel ready to leave; they would have to drag me out of the theater. I stayed in my seat, unable to get up, all the way through post-credits. I couldn't bear the thought of my first watch of my new favorite movie coming to an end. (Don’t worry, I saw it again.)

Another Wicked fan, sophomore Ella Joseph, said, “At first, I didn’t know what to expect, because people always say that the first act of Wicked is better than the second act [in the ‘Wicked’ play], but as soon as ‘Wicked: For Good’ started, I knew it was going to be so good.”

She added, “I absolutely loved the new original songs Stephen Schwartz added to the soundtrack. For example, when I heard “No Place Like Home" for the first time, it was such a great song, and I couldn’t imagine anyone other than Cynthia Erivo singing it. “Girl in the Bubble" was such a great addition, because we really get to see Glinda’s personal side, as we saw with Elphaba in her youth, in part one.”

After reflecting on the importance of friendship and identity, I made my way out of the theater. Glinda and Elphaba tell a very moving story about friendship, though Elphaba also tells one all her own on struggle and perseverance. She leaves the audience with an important message: Honor the strength it takes to embrace your differences and stand up to hate rather than join the crowd of bystanders. Although she had a difficult life, she ultimately lived happily as her true self.

Elphaba and Glinda showed the importance of a truly good friendship and how it can impact your life and being. Their friendship challenged societal norms as Glinda is presented as a popular figure with an abundance of friends, opposed to Elphaba, who was considered a misfit and was depicted as very lonely. Although this was the case, their friendship brought out a better version of Glinda, as well as Elphaba, as Glinda helped Elphaba feel as if she fit in with the other students, and Elphaba showed Glinda a true and meaningful friendship, which she had never known before. Though a pair, their shared journey helped them understand their own selves better as they learned to view the world from a perspective that transcends judgment and hate. One of my favorite lines from the entire film is in the song “For Good.” Elpahaba says, “So much of me is made of what I learned from you.” This line beautifully sums up their friendship.

Glinda's character, too, is one of my favorites from any production. She is stronger than she is made out to be, given her presentation as an entitled young girl. In the end, she gains power and friendship, realizing that even though she had all the friends in the world, the one person Glinda never would have guessed she would be friends with, Elphaba, was the only friend that mattered in her life.

The dusty theater carpet that covered the ramp toward the exit sign had become the yellow brick road in my eyes. Director Jon M. Chu truly did such an incredible job with this film. “Wicked” is the perfect and upbeat film, and “Wicked: for Good” is a beautifully emotional counterpart. Together, the two are a perfect combination, like Glinda and Elphaba.