Wicked: For Good Review!

Alright! Today I'm reviewing Wicked: For Good, the sequel to 2024's Wicked, which itself was an adaptation of the 2003 Broadway show Wicked, which itself was an adaptation of the 1995 novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, which itself was a fan fiction of the 1939 Wizard of Oz, which itself was adapted from Frank L. Baum's 1900 novel The Wizard of Oz. 

In conclusion, the green lady is back. 

First and foremost, this is a direct sequel to the Wicked movie from last year. The two were produced back-to-back, but Wicked: For Good wastes literally no time on reintroducing you to these characters or their relations. It's definitely a good idea to rewatch the first movie before going out to see the sequel  (Which, in and of itself, is normal, but is particularly important in this case since no one other than Elpheba and Glinda gets a proper introduction). 

Listen, I'm going to be real here. I love The Wizard of Oz and I loved the first Wicked (I gave it a 10/10). John M. Chu is the undisputed master of the modern movie musical, and I hope his Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat movie goes well. That being said, Wicked: For Good feels like someone made a monkey paw wish, and the unlucky turnaround has arrived.

Part of that's just because of the nature of Broadway musicals. Most Broadway shows are framed to have the grabby toe-tapper numbers in the first act, along with the show's famous "I Want" song. Then the second act plays a bit slower as more emotional solo numbers and duets happen, and actors get their Tony nominations for weeping. It's everywhere - Newsies, Into the Woods, Guys and Dolls, Little Shop of Horrors, In the Heights, Cats, Mamma Mia! - it's just a musical fact. It makes sense, then, that the problem is amplified for Wicked, whose Broadway play (And book) already has a distinct time gap and setting change once the characters graduate from Shiz University to the Rebellion against the Wizard. It's basically two completely different plots (which is also why it makes sense to split it into two films from an artistic standpoint, not just a monetary one). 

This means that Wicked, whose setting is Shiz University and focus is on the friendship of Elphaba and Glinda, is a more successful musical adaptation of Mean Girls than the actual Mean Girls musical adaptation, and Wicked: For Good is what you think of when someone says "movie musical." It feels long, there are more weepy solo numbers than you can shake a cat at, and the directing becomes noticeably less fun once it's Ariana Grande's fourth solo number instead of a giant ensemble piece like "Loathing."

It doesn't help that the movie would have frankly worked better by excising half of the songs - I couldn't help but notice the people who went to refill their popcorn and use the bathroom and came back only to be halfway through the same song having missed, effectively, nothing of importance. In this way, the conspiracy to kill the Wicked Witch (The main character!!!) feels like it's constantly slamming the brakes as these solos keep popping up with no real purpose. This is especially true of a new song written for the movie, "The Girl in the Bubble," whose placement detracts monumentally from the momentum of the finale. 

This was also unfortunate since there is so much genuinely interesting stuff going on here. Elphaba's protests against the Wizard, the animal subplot, Glinda and Fiyero's unhappy marriage, the Wizard's sly conniving of Glinda, and the introduction of plot elements from The Wizard of Oz - it was all so genuinely fascinating. While it's very satisfying to see all the pieces click together as everyone gets to their starting positions, nothing feels more stifled than Nessarose and Boq's relationship - unfortunately! It was the most interesting dynamic in the film, but the payoffs to the legendary Wicked Witch of the East feel rushed and undercooked, and Boq straight-up dips from the movie for about an hour. 

I also would have liked to see more of the Wizard of Oz characters, and not just for fan service - The Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion appear, but the lip service doesn't do much when they're built up as some of the most dynamic characters in the movie, especially when pitted against the emotionally constipated Fiyero and undercooked Boq subplot and various love triangles. I also would have liked to see them adapt the more famous scenes of The Wizard of Oz - Just imagine Jeff Goldblum trying to pass off the diploma, clock heart, and medallion as legitimate gifts: "Well, erm, ah, yes, you, you get a diploma! Yessir, it's a sheet of paper with your name on it, sure to enthrall your friends and loved ones." Or Glinda telling Dorothy to click her heels thrice; things like this weren't necessary, and it doesn't make or break the movie, but when the mind is left to wander during boring musical numbers, you can't help but imagine the more interesting things you could be watching. 

But not everything is boring and nit-picky!! Some of the performers are absolutely captivating, and I think my favorite member of the cast was Ethan Slater as Boq, whose Batman: The Animated Series-like fall from sincerity to heartlessness was so fascinating that I'm genuinely annoyed it's glazed over to focus on the most unromantic affair of all time between Elpheba and Fiyero. Ariana Grande is also spectacular here and is the emotional center of the movie, and I rather liked Mariassa Bode's Nessarose. On the flip side, Cynthia Erivo is given little to do as Elphaba as her motivations and plans are both deceptively simple and unclear (It's been five years and she hasn't been able to think of something better than writing "The Wizard Lies" in a cloud?), and Jonathan Bailey plays a charmless version of Fiyero that only gets interesting once the movie ends. Luckily, their fabulous costuming and makeup somewhat make up for it, as well as the tragically beautiful end to it all that's sure to have fans crying. 

Additionally, one of my few criticisms of the first movie - the overly flat and digital look - is not at all dissuaded by For Good. The CGI, which, while not noticeably bad, is noticeably everywhere, and I found myself missing the painted backdrops for Oz. The lighting is part of the problem - I found myself noticing the blandness of the movie when a scene transitioned from a brightly-lit room to a darker balcony and the general lighting stayed the same. I imagine the behind-the-scenes footage looks a lot like the stuff from The Hobbit, and now that I think about it, maybe this is why DVDs stopped including extras about the filmmaking process - it's just a lot of green screen.

There are definitely a few standout musical numbers - the reprise of "Every Day More Wicked," "No Good Deed," "For Good," and "March of the Witch Hunters" are all real emotional showstoppers whilst "I Couldn't Be Happier" and "Wonderful" are both delightful (if overlong). I also really liked the original song "No Place Like Home," although the transition from "hey, that's a fun reference to the original" became "wow, they tried really hard to make the chorus that line" by the end.

I also loved the tragedy involved - one of my favorite aspects of any fairy tale is the inherently tragic nature of the tale, and the original Wizard of Oz book is full of it. I was happy to see such tragic and beautiful endings and resolutions, and I imagine that for many people the last twenty minutes will be more than enough to make this movie an unforgettable experience. For me, though, I think that nay movie that I'd rather watch the highlights of on YouTube somewhat failed as a film.

Overall, I give Wicked: For Good a 7/10. "Whilst Wicked was a great movie that happened to be a musical, Wicked: For Good is most definitely a movie based on a Broadway play." 

If they had just added a lens flair every now and then, it could have passed for a J.J. Abrams movie.