Wicked: For Good

This weekend, Wicked: For Good released in theaters. Wicked: For Good is the second part of the film adaptation of the musical Wicked. It continues the story of Elphaba and Glinda as they stand on opposing sides in the land of Oz. I was very high on the first film and was quite excited to see if the second film could continue the hype.

In general, I thought this was another solid ride into the world of Oz. Just like the first film, I appreciate how they used large, practical, built sets, making this world feel real and lived in. I also liked how the movie handled Glinda’s character. Where the first movie focused on Elphaba’s character, I felt that this movie was more about Glinda. She grows from being self-centered and only doing what benefits her to actually caring for others. Along the same lines, I thought the relationship between Glinda and Elphaba was very well done. We see them grow close in the last movie, drift apart in this film, and then come back together in the end with a satisfying and emotional end to their stories. The people around me in the theater were crying by the end so it did manage to pull on some heart strings. I also liked how the movie tied into aspects of the original Wizard of Oz. We get origin stories for the Tin Man, Scarecrow, and Lion, as well as see the evolution of Nessa into the Wicked Witch of the East. I also appreciate how they handled Dorothy. By never showing her face, it keeps the focus of the story on Glinda and Elphaba, where it should be. We already have a movie centered around Dorothy, so it is good that she didn’t play into this one too. Finally, much like the first film, I thought the performances were very good. Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande gave even better performances than they did in the first. The performances here feature much more depth and emotion as the tone of this film is much darker.

However, I did find this movie to be quite a step down from the original. This movie had a much darker tone, and while that itself isn’t a bad thing, I just prefer the lighter, fun tone of the original film. I also felt that this film took quite a while to get going. Where the first film was able to fill things by introducing characters and establishing the world, this movie just feels more padded and drawn out, with not really much happening until Glinda’s wedding, which isn’t until an hour into the film. This movie also hardly has any memorable songs. For Good was a good song, but the rest are largely forgettable. Even in the stage version, it is largely agreed that all of the good songs are in the first movie.

Overall, I thought this was a decent conclusion to the Wicked story. While it lacks a bit of the whimsy and fun of the first film and takes a bit to get there, I think the movie delivers a satisfying end to the story of Glinda and Elphaba.

Score: 7.5/10 Grade: B Recommendation: Check it out

Sarah’s Score: 4.5/5 Witches

Sarah’s Thoughts: I thought it was good and liked it better than the first film.