One year ago, the world was defying gravity with the premiere of Wicked, the film adaptation of the super-popular Broadway Musical of the same name. Having dreamt of seeing the musical since childhood, but never getting the chance, I was absolutely rejoicifying at getting to see it as a movie. From the toe-tapping musical numbers to the faithful recreation of the land of Oz that’s captivated people for 125 years, Wicked was everything I wanted, and then some. But it was also a film that only covered the first act of the play, with the second act getting its own movie filmed back-to-back, Wicked: For Good. Because, given the criticisms of the musical’s second act, they had to do this right. And while it doesn’t always reach the same emotional heights as part one, Wicked: For Good still manages to cast a spell that will capture everyone’s hearts.
So much so that I’m going to be making two reviews for this movie; this is the spoiler-free one. The scandalaciously long, spoiler-filled one comes later.
Great Idea to Split the Movie Up
Several years have passed since Elphaba chose to defy the Wizard of Oz, and things in Oz have only gotten worse. The Animals are being locked in cages or forced to flee their homes. The Wizard and Madame Morrible’s propaganda campaign has turned almost all of Oz against Elphaba. And worst of all, Glinda is now a reluctant part of the Wizard’s regime as Glinda the Good. This is the setting we find ourselves in as Wicked: For Good begins as we find ourselves moving towards the moment that Dorothy drops in and changes everything.
I’ve already said that I’ve never seen the stage version of Wicked, and after the films, I doubt that I will. However, one common complaint about the musical is that the second act is a letdown. People say things like “it’s too dark now” or “the pacing’s rushed! There’s not enough time to cover everything!” The critics aren’t wrong. So much happens in the second act, which is less than an hour long, that several plot threads are left unresolved. The most glaring example of which is how the oppression of Animals, the reason why Elphaba chose to defy the Wizard, barely gets addressed after a certain point. Instead it’s all about the love drama between the main characters.
It was a smart thing for Jon Chu and co-screenwriters Holzman and Fox decided to split the story of Wicked in two. With both films matching the musical in terms of length, it lets them tell the story with all the legwork they could ask for. This already worked to the advantage of Wicked, but it’s in Wicked: For Good that we really see why this was a good idea. Thanks to this decision, For Good is able to go into greater depth about the things the musical couldn’t. We actually get to see Elphaba fighting to free the Animals and trying to convince them to fight back. We see the planned wedding between Glinda and Fiyero, something that the musical never gave us. Most importantly, the added runtime gives us two new, completely original songs written for the movie, sung by each of the leading ladies.
Cynthia and Ariana are Magical Together
Speaking of whom, while the entire cast remains in top form in Wicked: For Good, once again it’s Cynthia and Ariana as our main protagonists that take center-stage. At the start of the film, Elphaba and Glinda find themselves isolated from the world, but in different ways. It’s a quite literal case for Elphaba as she’s made out to be this evil outlaw trying to destroy Oz. Her only family has turned on her, most of her former friends think she’s evil. She refuses to give up the fight, determined to do the right thing, but it’s clear that the isolation is eating away at her. And over the course of For Good, she gets pushed to her breaking point until she very nearly becomes what everyone already sees her as.
In contrast, Glinda is now beloved by of Oz as Glinda the Good, and she acts like she couldn’t be happier. In private, though, she’s shown to be more alone than ever. She knows she’s living a lie and doesn’t want Elphaba to get hurt, but her love of being loved means that she lacks the braverism to stand up like her friend does. Her new song, “The Girl in the Bubble” even reflects this isolation. She got everything she wanted, but it wasn’t worth the price she had to pay.
The two are phenomenal even when they’re on their own, but as always, it’s when they come together that the shine like the stars. From their attempts to reach out from across the aisle to the songs they share together, they’re at their best when they’re together. And yes, Wicked: For Good does add fuel for those who ship Elphaba and Glinda together. And according to Playbill, 82% of the Wicked fanfics on A03 have this relationship tag. So you’re not alone in noticing the romantic chemistry, which hits critical mass when For Good reaches its titular song, “For Good.”
Absolute Banger Songs
On the subject of the songs, one issue that fans of the musical have had with the second half is that the songs are not as good or memorable. That must have been something that Stephan Schwartz , the man who wrote the stage musical, must have regretted, because he served as co-composer for Wicked and Wicked: For Good. As previously mentioned, the film includes two original songs sung by Elphaba and Glinda respectively. While they’re not the absolute show-stoppers that we got in the first film, they don’t need to be. They’re meant to be softer, more introspective, and give audiences insight into the problems I previously mentioned. It’s the existing songs that get the biggest upgrade.
There should be at least one song in Wicked: For Good that fans will enjoy. If not for the song itself, then by virtue of the people who are performing it. The Jeff Goldblum-led “Wonderful” has a very vaudeville feel to it. Cynthia Eviro kills it in her original song “No Place Like Home,” and knocks it out of the park with “No Good Deed.” And we start to get a hint at how unhappy Glinda is in “Thank Goodness” before it hits a crescendo in “The Girl in the Bubble.” Bottom line, the songs are just as good as Part One. Just don’t expect anything quite so thrillifying as “Defying Gravity.” Nothing could ever top that.
Wicked: For Good is Scandalociously Good!
So, did Wicked: For Good manage to serve as an excellent follow-up to last year’s Wicked? Absolutely yes. It managed to take the momentum and hype that was built up this past year and use it to its fullest extent. More importantly, it uses the extra runtime to fix a lot of the problems from the second half of the stage musical. I can’t cover them all here due to my separate spoiler-review, but if you are one of the fans who thinks the second act could’ve been better, this film is for you. Plus, now that it’s more popular than ever, I wouldn’t be surprised if Hollywood decides to explore the world of Oz more in the future. If not, then at least we have Wicked. And I can now rejoicify knowing I’ve checked off my entire “Broadway Bucket List.”
