Additional Coverage:
Well, folks, the year-long wait is finally over! The highly anticipated second installment of Jon M. Chu’s “Wicked” saga, Wicked: For Good, has landed, and we’re here to tell you if it was worth the extended intermission.
When we last left the vibrant world of Oz, our green-skinned hero-in-the-making, Elphaba (played by the captivating Cynthia Erivo), had just discovered the revered Wizard (Jeff Goldblum) was less “wizard” and more “fraud.” Radicalized and ready to defy gravity, she embraced her destiny as the soon-to-be Wicked Witch of the West. Her blonde, bubbly frenemy, Glinda (Ariana Grande), gave her a heartfelt farewell, and since then, the real world seems to have gotten even crazier, mirroring the chaos unfolding in Oz.
Wicked: For Good picks up where the Broadway show’s second act left off. Now, many of us, yours truly included, have pondered the point of splitting a roughly five-hour story (including intermission, mind you) into two separate films.
After seeing For Good, the answer isn’t entirely clear. While it’s certainly not a total misfire-Erivo and Grande are, thankfully, perfectly cast and utterly captivating-the “padding” to justify this two-part treatment becomes quite evident.
However, the film kicks off with a bang! We’re plunged into the vast landscapes outside Oz, where the Wizard’s henchmen are cruelly forcing animals to build the infamous yellow brick road.
Suddenly, Elphaba descends like a superhero, disrupting the abuse and making a powerful statement. Meanwhile, the Wizard’s press secretary, Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh, whose singing efforts are, shall we say, “limited”), has unleashed a barrage of hateful propaganda against Elphaba, and the people of Oz are swallowing it whole.
A cheerfully ignorant Glinda is now the Wizard’s spokeswoman, perpetuating the lie of his magical prowess. And the formerly apathetic Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey, fresh off his “Sexiest Man Alive” title) is now a reluctant guard, arranged to marry Glinda, despite his heart-and his political leanings-remaining with Elphaba.
The next two-plus hours are certainly entertaining. The story eventually intertwines with the arrival of that girl from Kansas (making a few visual cameos, though remaining silent).
The strongest moments, much like in Part 1, occur whenever Erivo and Grande share the screen. Their big, comical fight scene, happening right after a devastating series of events, had the audience at my screening roaring with laughter and engagement.
And their duet, “For Good,” remains the emotional core of Act II, a powerful declaration of friendship, even if lyricist Stephen Schwartz’s prose occasionally leans into the head-scratching (“Like a seed dropped by a skybird / In a distant wood.” Seriously, what does that even mean two decades later?!).
While For Good might not consistently soar as high as Part 1, that’s partly by design. Act I was brimming with show-stopping numbers, while Act II’s songs, like the Wizard’s “Wonderful,” simply can’t quite match that energy.
(And unfortunately, the two new additions, Elphaba’s “No Place Like Home” and Glinda’s “The Girl in the Bubble,” mostly just add to the runtime.) Act II is also where the show’s political messaging becomes a bit muddled, or perhaps, less committed.
The film aims to challenge our notions of “good” and “bad,” but unlike Gregory Maguire’s original novel, it softens some of those provocations, making certain characters a tad more sympathetic than intended.
Despite these quibbles, both Wicked films stand as a testament to creative vision within the often-tricky landscape of movie musicals. We’ve all had a laugh (and perhaps a cringe) at Erivo and Grande’s memorable antics during the seemingly endless publicity circuit, but there’s a genuine warmth in their deep dedication to the material. Whatever your ultimate feelings on the movie, one thing is clear: this is a spectacle crafted with love, and that, dear readers, is a good thing.