When it was announced that Jon M. Chu’s Wicked films would be split into two parts, as a huge fan of the musical, I was elated that they made that choice. As much as I love all things Wicked, even diehard fans know that Act Two is much weaker and rushed compared to Act One.
It felt fitting to allow for more time to expand on elements that don’t quite work, and with it being a screen adaptation, there was an opportunity to enhance what the stage was capable of. It’s with the heaviest of absent tin hearts that I say, it falters in a lot of the same ways. I still really enjoyed the film, but Wicked: For Good was not changed for the better.
Wicked: For Good picks up a few years later, with Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and Glinda (Ariana Grande) on two opposing journeys. Elphaba ran away from society after we saw her leave on her broomstick following the heartwrenching “Defying Gravity,” and Glinda is taking her place as “Glinda the Good” and working with Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh) and the Wizard (Jeff Goldblum).
Oz is in disarray; the once-magical place we saw when they first set foot at Shiz University and journeyed to the Emerald City is gone. The unravelling of Oz stems from the chaos introduced in the first film. The events of Wicked: Part One begin to roll darkness into the vibrant land, and Wicked: For Good is a reckoning.
Nessa (Marissa Bode) took her father’s place as Governor of Munchkinland and has essentially been holding Boq (Ethan Slater) hostage. Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey) is in an unhappy partnership with Glinda, following her path of feigning happiness. The animals have lost their voices and are being imprisoned. Throughout the time we missed between these chapters, we see how the citizens of Oz are succumbing to their wickedness.
The highlight of the film is how they approached the themes, which, unfortunately, are timeless. It’s impossible to ignore the direct parallels between what is happening in America and all over the world. The Wizard is ludicrously facetious, hiding his persona behind a literal mask. The propaganda surrounding him works as the citizens follow exactly what is told to them, without questioning anything– cheering happily along, even as those around them suffer. Glinda is a mascot, a symbol of what is good and what they should strive for. She’s a distraction from the injustices around them, and Elphaba is a symbol for the exact opposite.
The team struck gold when they cast Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo. Their chemistry is palpable, even though they don’t spend a lot of time together in this film, you feel every ounce of the yearning both of them have for each other– the friendship that will never see its day again. It’s still focused on both of them, but this film leans the slightest bit more towards the story of Grande’s Glinda. We get a flashback to her birthday party, where everyone cheers her on the same way they do with her as an adult. She’s never lacking admiration and intrigue from those around her, but the one thing she truly wants is real power. Erivo’s Elphaba is loathed throughout the land, but the one thing she will always have is her power. No person can take that away from her. Both of their performances are just as phenomenal as in the previous entry. They embody everything we’ve known and loved about these characters, but add flares that are uniquely theirs. It’s so precious to have characters in a long-anticipated adaptation also have such a distinct presence and interpretation onscreen.
This one definitely was more focused on the ensemble and their evolution. Jonathan Bailey is captivating as the evolved version of Fiyero, one who learns that there is much more to life. He leads the guards searching for Elphaba, knowing he must be among those to find her. His selflessness throughout the key moments was acted tenderly. Ethan Slater got to flex with his menacing turn in the film, nailing the stark transition. Marissa Bode turns from bright-eyed Nessa to the Wicked Witch of the East. I wish we got to see her bring it more with her song. Jeff Goldblum had more time to play with the character, and Michelle Yeoh did a bit more of the same from what we saw in the final moments of Part One. The casting for the Shiz students was still perfect in my opinion!
The music left a bit to be desired. We had fewer bombastic numbers and more character-focused ones that further the story. Of course, we have “No Good Deed”, “As Long As You’re Mine,” and “For Good,” but outside of those, there wasn’t anything else to really stand out. I thought almost every number from the previous film was done super well, but here, they fall flat. The two new songs, “No Place Like Home” and “The Girl in the Bubble” (which had phenomenal direction), weren’t exciting and were clearly just added to have some entries in the Best Original Song category at the Academy Awards. Ultimately, it was disappointing because Chu has showcased how much energy he can direct in a musical or dance number in his previous works.
As I said, this film faltered in the same ways as Act 2 of the show. In Part One, we got extra moments that enhanced the story, and I fully expected them to do the same here, considering how it’s known to be weaker in pacing and structure. Unfortunately, we didn’t get much new outside of the two songs. The film relies heavily on you knowing The Wizard of Oz, and I wish we had more glimpses of the moments in between the disjointed scenes we see in this film. I understand wanting to stay close to the source material, but they had the opportunity to improve key moments, and I wish they had taken it. The pacing is quick, and the back-and-forth gave me whiplash. The look suffered the same as the last film, but improved in some areas. The creamy sheen from the opening scene and the daytime shots at Shiz seemed improved, but still not great.
Even the costumes, which Paul Tazewell absolutely nailed in the last film, didn’t land with me. The previous films were so memorable, but I really did not like the dress that Glinda wore throughout most of this film. They shot these films back-to-back, so I didn’t expect to see elements decline so steeply.
Wicked: For Good doesn’t capture the same magic as Wicked, but I still enjoyed experiencing Erivo and Grande conclude the story of these two iconic characters. They continued to command every moment that they were on the screen. Outside of the performances, I wish we had gotten more of everything.
This part was much darker and denser, and we didn’t have enough time to catch our breath between the sequences. Don’t get me wrong, it still hit me emotionally (many, many tears were shed) because I’m a massive fan of the musical, but I am curious to see what those who became fans from the first film will think about this one.
Rating: 6.5/10
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