Evil first landed on Broadway on June 10, 2003, eight years after the publication of Gregory Maguire’s novel of the same name. The novel –Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West –is of course based on L. Frank Baums The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and its 1939 Hollywood adaptation.

This is a story with deep roots in American popular culture, dating back over 100 years, to a time when a yellow brick road was actually a metaphor for the gold standard. John Chu’s film adaptation of the stage play does justice to everything that has come before, perfectly captures the magic of the Broadway musical and deepens and enriches the story in a new medium.

I’m often dismayed by adaptations, too many of which decide to take the original work and change it for no good reason, either to convey a message not contained in the original source material or simply because they believe it far too often , they say, to be able to create a better story by fundamentally changing the work. There are changes in Evil, But they all serve to adapt a stage production to the big screen.

Not only do we get more scenes to establish Elphaba’s backstory and flesh out the world of Oz and Shiz University, but we also get more action set pieces that simply wouldn’t be possible on a stage. Songs that were once only heard in the theater can now be sung in vast fields or magical forests. Elphaba is no longer tied to impressive stage flying tricks; Now she hovers above the towering green towers of the Emerald City, her black cape billowing in the evening sky.

There’s a new musical section that plays when our heroes arrive in the Emerald City, which serves primarily as an exposition (albeit entertaining) about the history of Oz, the magical Grimmerie, and a prophecy that re-contextualizes Elphaba’s role in all of this, and shortly afterwards sets the stage for her meeting with the magician himself, played by the goblin Jeff Goldblum.

(I should note that Evil The musical changes Maguire’s novel enormously. They can and probably should be viewed as almost entirely different works, and while the basic outlines of the story remain the same, there are massive changes to the ending, the importance of some characters, and so on. Not to mention all the songs).

Everything around Evil is a triumph of cinema, from its faithfulness to the musical to its beautiful and creative sets, costumes and special effects. Oz comes to life in a way we have never seen before, a colorful steampunk fantasy world full of magic, possibility and danger. But it’s the brilliant performances that really make the film stand out.

Cynthia Erivo plays Elphaba, an outcast from Munchkinland who was born green. Her life has been hard and when she arrives at Shiz University – originally just to keep an eye on her younger sister Nessarose, but is quickly embraced by magic professor Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh) – she quickly learns that some Never change things.

She becomes roommate and bitter rival of Galinda, a rich and beautiful – and very popular – young Ozian woman played by Ariana Grande. The relationship between these two women is the narrative backbone of the film, and the film couldn’t have chosen better actors for these roles.

Fans were cautious when Grande’s casting was announced. She is of course best known as a pop star and singer. But here she absolutely nails Galinda, from her ridiculous hair tossing to her moody, self-obsessed personality, which vacillates between a bland and superficial exterior and a deeper, more empathetic side that she keeps hidden from the world.

Meanwhile, Erivo captures Elphaba’s personality down to the last detail. She is defiant and defensive but also emotionally raw, a young woman who has been spurned by everyone, including her father, but somehow carries on alone, secretly wishing for a happy ending but never expecting to find one.

And these two women can do it sing. In the past, Hollywood has made some mistakes when it comes to casting major Broadway adaptations. Not like that here. Every moment a character sings along Evil is wonderful.

I was absolutely blown away by every song. Of course there are the most memorable numbers like “Popular” and “Defying Gravity”, the latter serving as the end of the first act on Broadway (and rushing to the toilet and the bar during intermission) and the last number here before A “To be continued” appears on the screen, with a much longer break before the release of the second film. But the other numbers are also great fun.

The magician and me gives us our first real taste of how powerful Erivo’s vocal skills are, while also taking us on a tour of Shiz and the surrounding area. “What’s that feeling?” perfectly establishes the budding rivalry and Disgust The two women feel for each other. “Dancing Through Life” features one of the most creative set pieces of the entire film in the Shiz library and represents a major turning point in the relationship between Elphaba and Galinda, with one scene in particular expanding the musical’s version in a way that only can the film really delivers (you just can’t do close-ups in a stage production).

The rest of the cast is brilliant too. Jonathan Bailey is charming as the rather athletic Fiyero. Yeoh’s Morrible is deliciously deceptive. The list goes on.

The film is also littered with cameos, both big and small, all beautiful tributes to the people who made it such a Broadway sensation over the last two decades. In an expanded “One Short Day” we not only see the original stars of the stage production, Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth – with some pretty big singing parts! – but also composer Stephen Schwartz as one of the Guardians, author Gregory Maguire as another Guardian, and screenwriter Winnie Holzman as a woman who exclaims, “He must be a…. . . Wizard!” and many more, including other actors who have played the lead roles over the years.

I had actually only been to the Broadway musical earlier this summer (I had seen it on Broadway many years ago), so it was still fresh in my mind as I watched the film. I’m happy to report that the film captures the magic of the musical almost perfectly, but at the same time gives it its own magic. I often complain about how long movies are, but even at 2 hours and 40 minutes, I never once felt bored or anxious and couldn’t wait for it to be over. I’m also glad they decided to split the two acts of the film into two films. At first this sounded like a cynical Hollywood decision to make more money, but after watching it I can’t imagine it any other way. Even if they had made a three and a half hour film, it would have been way too hectic.

Instead, we got a fast-paced, lovingly crafted film that gives audiences a reason to go to the cinema in a world where that is increasingly no longer the case. The Sunday afternoon show I attended was sold out. The audience was visibly enthusiastic, but I missed the clapping that accompanies a live show after every number.

Evil is a stunning success in almost every way, from the outstanding performances to the sound design and special effects to the imaginative sets and costumes and the ability to capture what made the Broadway musical so special in the first place – both across the board Gravity and beyond my expectations at every turn. Watch it on the biggest screen you can find. It’s the most fun I’ve had at the movies all year.