Over the course of the year between the release of “Wicked” and “Wicked: For Good,” I was constantly left to wonder what the second part would have in store. Upon seeing it, I can confidently say the highly anticipated release was worth the wait.
“Wicked: For Good” follows Glinda and Elphaba following the disaster that ensues after Elphaba meets the illustrious Wizard of Oz. As the Wizard and his team work diligently to track down Elphaba while spreading propaganda painting her as a villain, the so-called “Wicked Witch of the West” hides from the Wizard’s troops of human soldiers and flying monkeys. In the meantime, she makes an effort to protect the rights of Oz’s animal citizens. Parallel to this storyline, the “Good Witch of the East,” Glinda, parades around Oz to boost her social status and plan a wedding for herself and her prospective husband, Fiyero.
The star-studded cast of the first movie returns to bring this story to life. Standout performances include Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, Ariana Grande as Glinda, Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero, Jeff Goldblum as the Wizard and unlike the first part, Ethan Slater’s Boq/the Tinman. All of these talented actors brought something amazing to the screen, making the characters their own while not straying too far from the cult-classic Broadway musical. Contrary to these stunning performances, the casting of Michelle Yeoh (who did, admittedly, turn down the role initially) as the Wizard’s counterpart, Madame Morrible, left much to be desired. The character felt much more one-dimensional than she did in the first part, and to no fault of her own, Yeoh is not the best singer.
The visual appeal of “Wicked: For Good” is in a league of its own, similar to the first movie. Directed by Jon M. Chu, the film combines pastel, vibrant and dark tones in both costuming and scenery to develop the contrast between the supposed good and wicked created by the Wizard’s plotline. The costumes used are divine, using color, shape and pattern expertly to create the Ozian culture.
One aspect of the film that is abundantly clear throughout, but undermentioned among reviewers, is just how political it is. A message regarding injustices is conveyed throughout which is especially relevant today. The treatment of animal citizens as a form of scapegoating and the incessant spread of propaganda to villanize Elphaba are motifs seen constantly in the world in present day, and they are similarly overseen and believed to hide larger injustices. The film is a cautionary tale about blind discrimination and trusting political figures, but this message has unfortunately gone largely unseen.
In addition to the song selections from Stephen Schwartz’s original score, “Wicked: For Good” introduces two new songs to the musical, both also composed by Schwartz. Grande and Erivo are both given solos in “The Girl in the Bubble” and “No Place Like Home.” Of the two songs, “No Place Like Home,” stands out as a very strong, powerful song, and one of the best of the film. “The Girl in the Bubble” showed so much potential to be a good song, but ended up falling short. Overall, my favorite song from this part was “For Good” from the original Broadway score, a song that I have loved for my whole life. Other standout numbers were “Wonderful,” “No Good Deed” and “March of the Witch Hunters.”
All in all, this film brought me to tears, made me laugh and inspired me. Like the first part, “Wicked: For Good” has cemented itself as one of my favorite films, but because I did enjoy it slightly less than the first part, my overall rating for the film is a 9.5/10.
