How do I love ‘Wicked’, let me count the ways. I love the way Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande play frenemy witches, their talent shining on the highest beams. I like the way the movie acts as a prequel and sequel to “The Wizard of Oz” with Dorothy on the sidelines. And I love the way “Wicked” finds its own identity apart from the Broadway musical hit from which it emerged.

Like a comet pulled from its orbit, ‘Wicked’ splashes onto the screen, spreads its wings and takes flight. The result is one of the best films of the year, a joyous burst of darkness. It’s also a vehicle for Stephen Schwartz’s Grammy-winning songs and a sharp script, co-adapted by playwright Winnie Holzman, from Gregory Maguire’s novel.

Director Jon M. Chu, who proved he had the right stuff with “Crazy Rich Asians” and “In the Heights,” takes a shrewd approach to his job as an artist’s apprentice, matched by the undeniable love of a fanboy. Too many? Maybe. But ‘bad’ heads won’t be able to resist it.

There’s been a lot of love for “Wicked,” which is still running on Broadway after 23 years and shows no signs of stopping, with countless productions at home and abroad, billion-dollar profits and fans who rival Swifties for their unwavering loyalty.

Of course, the haters are going to hate and “evil” detractors cringe at the sentimentality of it. Keep in mind that even 1939’s critically acclaimed “Oz” was inundated with scathing reviews (the New Yorker called it a “stinkeroo”). Somehow, classics break through the noise.

My advice? Don’t lag behind the snobs. Other films this year are bigger (“Dune Part 2”), heavier (“The Brutalist”), wittier (“Anora”), twistier (“Conclave”) and extra adventurous (“Emilia Perez”), but none leave a more indelible handprint on the heart than “Wicked.”

Like the play, the film begins with the funeral of the green girl Elphaba (Erivo), also known as the Wicked Witch of the West, led by the good witch Glinda (Grande). Villain and heroine are carefully delineated in Oz’s operatic scene-setter, “No One Mourns the Wicked.”

But are the lines really drawn that hard and fast? A film-length flashback shows the two as misfits at Shiz University, where sorcery is on the curriculum. The headmistress, Madame Morrible (the great Michelle Yeoh), sends Elphaba for tutoring to the bizzaro wizard, impregnated by Jeff Goldblum with a sinister charm that will keep you guessing.

Erivo unleashes her formidable lungs on ‘The Wizard and I’ and vows to work with the Wiz so he will haze her. No chance. Meanwhile, Glinda practices her makeover skills on Elphaba in a knockout song, “Popular,” in which Grande proves herself to be a comedy dynamo with real acting talent. Erivo and Grande are to die for in performances that should put both in the Oscar race.

Also cheers for Jonathan Bailey as the mischievous Prince Fiyero. You’re in for a demo level of singing, dancing and acting virtuosity in “Dancing Through Life” as this playful thirst trap comes between Elphaba and Glinda. Fortunately, the romantic triangle takes a back seat to the friendship between Elphaba and Glinda, giving the film its backbone, grace, and grieving conscience.

And what about the talking animals in Oz? Peter Dinklage voices history teacher Doctor Dillamond (he’s a goat), just one of the beastly intellects locked up and denied the ability to speak. Something bad is happening in Oz and the story culminates in Elphaba taking flight from oppression with ‘Defying Gravity’, the showstopper that ends the film on a high note.

Hey, wait a minute. “Defying Gravity” is just the end of Act One onstage, which prompts me to join the growing protest against splitting “Wicked” into two films. And in a decision that will prove to be smart or stupid, audiences will have to wait a whole year for part two.

I suspect we’ll all continue to hold on to the magic, especially when Grande defines wonderfully and Erivo delivers a tour de force that also captures every quiet nuance in a performance for the ages. And the word is “wow” for the crescendo of musical runs she unleashes after singing “and no one in all of Oz/no wizard that is or was/will ever bring me down.” It’s better to believe it.

Because of the wonderful things it does, even half of “Wicked” stands as a new gold standard in movie musicals and a perfect companion to the immortal “The Wizard of Oz.”

I’ve heard it said that movies come into our lives for a reason. And “Wicked,” especially now, has good reason to celebrate women’s power in a world that puts outsiders in cages. These witches can preach. They can also set the screen on fire. No wonder seeing “Wicked” once isn’t enough.