There is one very important thing to know about the second act of the musical “Wicked”: The storyline is incredibly muddled and convoluted.
The story diverges into tie-ins of “The Wizard of Oz,” trying to bring parallels that introduce all of the iconic characters and storylines before the final stroke of the Clock of the Time Dragon, which is located behind the stage for the duration of the show.
The story is clunky, with plot holes, less catchy songs and heavier source material. It is very important to understand this source material’s premise before going into “Wicked: For Good,” the second and final installment in the “Wicked” movie franchise, the first film of which premiered last November. The film does a successful job of building on that difficult source material and elevating the story through superb acting and direction.
I’ve been a fan of “Wicked” since I was in fifth grade — and as a former theater kid, it changed everything for me. Seeing “Wicked” live is something that most theatrical fans can identify as a cornerstone of their passion. It’s an iconic musical that has a cult following, and the movie attempted to introduce source material that is incredibly personal to theatre fans to a wider audience.
One of the areas where “For Good” missteps is trying to pander the “Wicked” story to a young audience, attempting to appeal to young kids by marketing the movie as Universal’s take on a princess movie. However, nothing about “Wicked” is a princess movie or really a movie for young children, and attempting to appeal the story to a younger audience through extensive marketing and product collaborations, such as with Mattel and American Girl, made the importance of a family-friendly PG rating crucial. However, by adapting to a PG rating, “For Good” waters down some of the passion and horror found in the original story. Some marketing and brand collaborations, including with Absolut Vodka, Ariana Grande’s r.e.m beauty and other companies such as Pottery Barn and Le Creuset, are strictly targeted to adults, leaving confusion around the true intended audience of the film.
Picking up where Act 2 of the musical commences, Elphaba is fully ostracized as “The Wicked Witch of the West,” and her best friend, Glinda, is branded “The Good Witch” despite not having any real magical power. Glinda also begins Act 2 engaged to Prince Fiyero, who is now the captain of the Wizard of Oz’s guard. Elphaba is hiding in the woods, befriending animals and encouraging them to stay in Oz instead of fleeing, and constantly trying to inform the public of the Wizard’s lies as a fraud. Eventually, her path crosses once more with Glinda and Fiyero, and what ensues is a fairly dark and dramatic storyline that comes to a very heartbreaking conclusion that should not come as a surprise to anyone who has seen The Wizard of Oz, but still manages to elicit heartache in viewers.
The entire full cast of the first film returns, including Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum and Michelle Yeoh.
If “For Good” had committed to a PG-13 rating, the long-awaited romance between Elphaba and Fiyero in the love ballad “As Long As You’re Mine,” a scene that takes place back at Elphaba’s treehouse hideaway, could have explored the passion between the two and given more screen time to their chemistry. The film also would have benefited from the breathing room to make some of the more intense scenes a bit more horror-driven, and an increased representation of the events transpiring would have upped the stakes nicely.
Despite the PG rating, “For Good” does its best with the source material given. Like the first “Wicked,” it takes the 2D world presented on stage and brings it fully to life for viewers. It’s a treat for musical fans, who have, until now, been confined to seeing the story of “Wicked” in set stage confinements.
Two new songs are added to the score: “No Place Like Home,” a solo for Elphaba, and “The Girl in the Bubble,” a solo for Glinda. Both are forgettable and add nothing to the story or score, appearing at random times throughout the plot.
Aside from that, vocally, the film delivers in spades. Erivo’s heartbreaking and powerful rendition of “No Good Deed” midway through the film gave me full-body chills. It’s the best moment in the entire film, perhaps in the entire duology.
Grande, whose casting as Glinda drew skepticism, outperforms expectations. As someone who has spent the better part of a decade listening to the “Wicked” soundtrack, her performance was the first time I have ever felt genuine sorrow and pain for Glinda’s character. She delivers perfectly with her entire range of emotions. Her vocals in “I’m Not That Girl (Reprise)” and her haunting rendition of the finale motif highlighted her prowess as a singer and actress at once.
Erivo also performs incredibly well, convincingly portraying Elphaba’s internal struggle and character growth through the two films. Erivo and Grande’s rendition of the ballad “For Good” brought its customary tear to my eyes.
Goldblum delivers well as The Wizard, and Bailey shines as Prince Fiyero both vocally and as an actor, and was the perfect choice for the role. Ethan Slater’s transformation as Boq is stronger in the second installment and was a memorable performance. The only disappointment was Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible, which fell flat instead of being convincing as a villain.
However, the most special part of the entire film is the final shot of the movie, a beautiful surprise and tribute to the stage production. All in all, “Wicked: For Good” is an incredibly strong film and builds on “Wicked’s” reputation as the most financially successful musical theatre adaptation to film. For us fans of the musical, director Jon Chu, Erivo, Grande and the entire cast did a wonderful job across two movies of illustrating the World of Oz and bringing an incredibly beloved story to life.
Reach Allie Seibel at entertainment@collegian.com or on social media @allie_seibel_.
