Rating: 2.5/5 stars
Cynthia Erivo (Elphaba) and Ariana Grande (Glinda the Good) returned on Nov. 21 in “Wicked: For Good,” the sequel to the musical movie “Wicked.” “Wicked: For Good” is based on the second act of the musical, following the lives of Elphaba Thropp, the Wicked Witch of the West, and Glinda Upland after Elphaba decides to make it her life’s mission to fight against the Wizard of Oz. The two movies are based on the Broadway musical “Wicked,” written by Winnie Holzman and composed by Stephen Schwartz.
The need to explain so many of the backstories led to the movie feeling rushed and messy. For instance, Nessa Thropp, Elphaba Thropp’s sister, is named The Wicked Witch of the East with little to no explanation, and given barely any screen time before she is killed off. It was certainly a shock when Elphaba’s seemingly innocent sister from the first movie was suddenly given this fate in the sequel, which made me wish the directors would have fleshed out this storyline a little more.
The Cowardly Lion had one or two scenes in the first movie before randomly appearing again in the sequel, leading me to try my hardest to recall where this mammal even came from. One of the movie’s biggest pitfalls was that it tried so hard to fit into the canon of “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,” which resulted in a barely coherent storyline for audience members to follow.
Consequently, there were lots of themes that should’ve been a lot more fleshed out and developed. Although they would be divergent from the original Broadway musical, it would also make up for the pitfalls that the second act of the musical introduced.
The authoritarian and fascist themes in the movie were incorporated masterfully albeit briefly. However, if there was one theme that the movie developed correctly, it would be the lasting impact of friendships as seen through Glinda and Elphaba’s relationship.
Most of the actors gave good performances, but none stuck out to me as much as Grande’s portrayal of Glinda. It felt like Grande knew Glinda’s character through and through, down to her comedic timing and her small mannerisms. However, Michelle Yeoh’s portrayal of Madame Morrible was extremely one dimensional and disappointing.
Erivo and Grande’s vocals, as expected, were incredible and the saving grace of most of the songs in the movie. However, the songs in this movie fell short of the first movie’s quality and were extremely forgettable.
“Wicked: For Good” had big shoes to fill after its prequel’s release and unfortunately failed to do so. The incoherent, rushed storyline and the lack of the same whimsical feeling of the first movie caused this one to fall largely short. Erivo and Grande were one of the only redeeming aspects of this movie, with their vocal and acting performances, chemistry, and charisma.
Other aspects I found enjoyable were the cinematography and the color grading; every shot was magical and felt as if the actors were truly in the Land of Oz. The CGI and special effects weren’t too overpowering despite the Land of Oz being a magical land with talking animals and physic-defying magic.
For fans of the prequel, it would be a good idea to watch “Wicked: For Good” simply to know how everything was resolved in the end. For others on the fence about even starting the first movie
