Whether you’re scrolling the internet, shopping anywhere or speaking to anyone, you’ve likely been pummeled by “Wicked” promotions left and right. With so much hype surrounding this film, Director Jon M. Chu (“In the Heights”) had much to live up to, and despite the second act of Broadway’s “Wicked” being notoriously weaker, he manages to leave an emotional impact that changes the audience for good.
“Wicked: For Good” picks up a few years after the events of the first installment and follows the second half of the stage musical. Since then, Glinda (Ariana Grande, “Wicked”) has become a celebrated figure in the Emerald City, acting as a spokeswoman for the Wizard (Jeff Goldblum, “Asteroid City”). Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo, “Harriet”), the “Wicked Witch of the West,” lives in exile, opposing and evading the fraudulent Wizard and his close ally Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh, “Everything Everywhere All At Once”). In addition, Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey, “Jurassic World: Rebirth”) remains in the Emerald City, working as the captain of the Wizard’s Guard and actively, though reluctantly, hunting Elphaba. Elphaba’s sister, Nessarose (Marissa Bode, “Wicked”), has taken over her father’s position as the tyrannical governess of Munchkinland, oppressing the entire nation so she can keep her love, Boq (Ethan Slater, “The SpongeBob Musical: Live on Stage!”), in her life.
Obviously, we can’t talk about “Wicked: For Good” without discussing its songs and vocal performances. Interestingly, the movie included two additional songs, “The Girl in the Bubble” and “No Place Like Home,” which aren’t from the original musical. Grande’s vocals are even better than in the first movie, with “The Girl in the Bubble” and her breathtaking duet with Erivo, “For Good.” While “No Place Like Home” is by no means a useless addition, it doesn’t hold the importance of Glinda’s new song, and it isn’t exceptionally catchy either. Despite this one subpar song, the standout among the vocalists is still undeniably Erivo, whose powerful and dynamic voice breathes life into Elphaba’s songs. Her voice was delivered with her breathtaking performance of “No Good Deed,” drawing the audience into her desperation and anger. Grande and Erivo’s emotional ballad of “For Good” will draw tears out of even the most stoic, eloquently wrapping up the emotional journey Elphaba and Glinda have taken over the course of the films. Likewise, Grande’s addition to the song “Wonderful” elevated Jeff Goldblum’s forgettable singing, creating a memorable scene out of one that could have easily been boring.
With the good, of course, comes the bad, and Michelle Yeoh’s vocals are, frankly, bad. Luckily for listeners, her singing parts are few and far between; however, each time, it is truly grating. In contrast, the movie didn’t use Jonathan Bailey’s singing prowess to its full potential, with the actor only performing “As Long As You’re Mine.” Since the movie includes two additional songs for Elphaba and Glinda, having a solo Fiyero song wouldn’t have been amiss — we personally would have enjoyed a “Dancing Through Life” reprise. Unfortunately, this is a problem for the overall movie: It can’t compete with the songs of the first film. While the album isn’t full of skips, it doesn’t have multiple standout songs the way “Wicked” did, but at least the performances of the central characters make up for the weaker moments.
Beyond the vocals, the outstanding acting across the cast captures the theme of transformation that informs every character’s development as we move into the darker second half of “Wicked.” “Wicked: For Good” gives Glinda the depth she lacked in the original. Gone are the days of the ditsy and naive Galinda of the first film, as she has taken on an authoritative role that challenges her beliefs, and Grande captures her inner turmoil through a truly wonderful performance. Her interactions with Elphaba drive the emotional core of the film, and the duo’s relationship off set clearly contributed to their heartfelt performances on set. Similarly, the blossoming relationship between Elphaba and Fiyero is made more believable and gripping by Erivo and Bailey’s perfectly nuanced acting.
Beyond the central duo, the remaining cast equally rises to the occasion. Ethan Slater, who initially slipped under the radar in the first film, came through with his performance as the Tin Man, showcasing incredible range through his transformation from the desperate, awkward Boq to the (literally) heartless Tin Man. His performance during “March of the Witch Hunters” was chilling, portraying the loss of the kindness that Boq once had, making the Tin Man an empathetic character despite his heartlessness. At its core, “Wicked: For Good” is the story of transformation that each of the cast members understood and delivered.
Another aspect of the movie that gives it that touch of magic is the detail of the costumes and scenery. Glinda’s dresses are designed with clean and sparkly pink lines while Elphaba’s wardrobe, with her tattered black robes, is designed to reflect her exile. It helps highlight how they’ve drifted in the years after Shiz. Paul Tazewell, the movie’s lead costume designer, also used costuming and makeup to provide audiences with a realistic Tin Man and Scarecrow. While both are impressive feats by the costume and makeup team, the Scarecrow looks and feels off-putting while watching in theaters (this may be the point, but having him be a Ryan Reynolds doppelganger is probably not).
Aside from mildly disturbing prosthetics, the sequel suffers from some pacing issues that make the story feel less moving than part one. In “Wicked,” there was a clear story arc driven by Elphaba and Glinda’s journey to becoming friends and meeting the Wizard. In comparison, “Wicked: For Good” has to deal with more plot lines and complexity than the original and has to balance showing the separate lives of all the characters, finish plot lines from the first film and connect “Wicked” to “The Wizard of Oz.” It is this switching between characters, locations and story arcs that leads to some of the awkward and rushed pacing in the movie and, unfortunately, causes scenes that should provide intense emotional impact for the audience to fall flat.
The most notable example is the climax of the film, when Glinda finally stands up and takes Elphaba’s side. The long-awaited reunification of the friends and Glinda’s character growth should elicit a rush of excitement and joy in the audience, but it feels sudden and a bit forced due to the timeline. This problem is particularly exacerbated by the fact that the first movie was so heartrending. That said, the movie delivers several amazing plot lines, especially that of Boq and Nessa, whose storyline heavily connects “Wicked” to “The Wizard of Oz” and nicely addresses conflicts that had been foreshadowed in the first movie.
While there are certainly some bumps along the yellow brick road, “Wicked: For Good” ultimately delivers a satisfying ending to the musical that stole everyone’s attention a year ago. Chu creates quite the magical experience in partnership with the costume and makeup department that beautifully showcases the powerhouse performances of his star-studded cast.
Daily Arts Writers Taylor Koski and Maeve McGinn can be reached at tckoski@umich.edu and maevemcg@umich.edu.
