“Wicked: For Good,” the anticipated sequel to the first movie “Wicked,” was released on Nov. 21 and attempts to deepen the magic of the first film, but doesn’t fully succeed despite all of its publicity and anticipation.
The film features leading actresses Cynthia Erivo, who plays Elphaba, and Ariana Grande, who plays Glinda. While “Wicked” follows the first act of the Broadway show, this movie follows the second act. The first act is about the origin of Elphaba and Glinda and how they became friends, and also about how the Wizard (Jeff Goldblum) and Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh) are the real villains. The movie picks up soon after the first ends. After Elphaba sings her iconic “Defying Gravity,” she is now known as the Wicked Witch of the West, and Glinda is now pretending to work for the Wizard and Madame Morrible.
With a runtime of 2 hours and 17 minutes, I had a lot of concern for the movie, since the on-stage act is only one hour. After seeing the movie, I have to say that I found myself very bored at some parts. For example, while Grande’s “The Girl in the Bubble” was beautifully sung and added emotional depth to Glinda’s character, it felt unnecessary and like it was just adding runtime to the movie instead of focusing on the original, powerful story.
However, these slow moments do not pull away from the highlights of the film. “As Long As You’re Mine” is the emotional love ballad between Elphaba and Fiyero, played by Jonathan Bailey. These two amazing actors are able to perfectly portray the love that they have always had for each other through their captivating, longing voices.
Even better is Elphaba’s “No Good Deed,” which is arguably the best song in all of the “Wicked” soundtrack. Erivo’s rendition is powerful, and by taking creative liberty, she adds riffs and her own style to make it even better than the original Broadway recording. The full orchestra below her vocals also adds to the intensity of the song. This was also the most visually stunning and cinematic scene in the movie, where Elphaba is soaring through her castle while yearning for Fiyero, along with all that she has lost.
Other songs did not rise to the same level as “No Good Deed.” “The Wicked Witch of the East,” Elphaba’s little sister Nessa’s song, felt autotuned and emotionless. Similarly, Madame Morrible’s singing was heavily autotuned. While the actress brought a lot of powerful aspects to the role, the autotune feels out of place, since most of the cast was singing live.
Compared to the first film, the sequel definitely has the better plot. It takes a much darker and complex turn, and both Elphaba and Glinda go through major character development. It also bridges the gap between “Wicked” and “The Wizard of Oz,” and it is interesting to see it from that perspective. While this movie has the better storyline, the first one takes the prize for the best songs. Every single song from “Wicked” are iconic musical theater numbers, but I only went back to listen to a few from “Wicked: For Good.”
Something that Erivo and Grande do amazingly is show Elphaba and Glinda’s emotional connection. After seeing interviews and clips of the two of them together, it is clear that they have developed a very close bond over the course of filming this movie, and it is amazing to see that transfer onto the screen. Chemistry is one of the most important things within cinema, and in this movie, the audience is really able to see the character’s friendship develop. The final number, “For Good,” displayed their chemistry along with the beautiful blending of their voices, and left everyone in the theater sniffling.
Another aspect that held this movie back was how it was definitely too advertised to children. While this half of the Broadway show is much darker than the first, its PG rating limits how far it can lean into the true intensity and the maturity of the second act.
“Wicked: For Good” was a visually stunning, emotional continuation of “Wicked” that shows the bond between two best friends. However, its slow pacing and poor advertising hold it back from the complex and powerful film it could have been.
