It’s been long enough; let’s talk about Wicked: For Good.
Those of us theater kids have been dying for November 21st, when we would finally see how the incredible director, Jon M. Chu, chose to portray the iconic second act of Wicked.
If you’ve seen the musical, you already know every twist and turn that the book and musical showcased, which inevitably ties Wicked perfectly into the Wizard of Oz story we all know. Boq becomes the Tin Man, Fiyero becomes the Scarecrow, the Wizard is Elphaba’s father, and everything in between. Knowing these, I was still enraptured by just the quality and care put into the movie.
Musical to Movie
There are so so many choices, additions, and specific focuses that were able to be explored and explained further in these movies compared to the musical. I’m usually in favor of other forms of media being constructed into movies because there is just so much more you can do. One of my favorite things they did with this movie was showing why Boq and Fiyero became these specific characters after being spelled.
Before Elphaba appears in Nessa’s office, Boq carries a prominent tray of tin that also gets knocked over while his heart is shrinking. He was also shown with an axe to chop wood for Nessa. There is a brief shot of the tin forming in Boq’s fingers. It was just a nice touch to add a reason as to why ‘tin’ specifically was chosen to become his form; it was based on his surroundings.
The same goes for Fiyero. There’s yet another quick shot where we see that, as he is being beaten by the Wizard’s soldiers, he sprouts hay from his neck. The soldiers took him to be strung up in a corn field to torture Elphaba’s whereabouts out of him. As she casts a spell to protect him, the Grimmerie once again uses the objects around the person to fulfill her wishes. This is also why, in part one during Defying Gravity, Elphaba casts a levitation spell that attaches to a broom used to block the door, thus giving her the iconic flying broomstick. These aren’t just random character quirks anymore; they are given reason and exposition.
Elphaba and Glinda
Let’s start with the woman of the hour, Cynthia Erivo. She. Was. Amazing.
“No Good Deed” gave me such chills. Even when the theaters I went to were on the quieter side, everyone felt compelled to applaud after this song ended. I was blown away by how well that scene’s cinematography, as well as the pure emotion and depth Erivo added to Elphaba. When she sang, “Fiyero, where are you!” I crumbled. Those notes are not easy to hit, and she just amazed me. It was hard to take my eyes off of her whenever she was on screen, she just fully embodied her character and also served face for the entirety.
A new song added for Wicked: For Good was Elphaba’s empowering anthem to the animals, “No Place Like Home”, a nod to the iconic phrase from The Wizard of Oz (1939). This song was an important addition to identify why exactly Elphaba continues to fight for a land that has never loved and accepted her. We assumed her reasoning was because it’s the right thing to do, and while that may still reign true, Elphaba expands that Oz has been her home. “But Oz is more than just a place, it’s a promise, an idea, and I want to help make it come true”. This song also adds more explanation for why the animals feel more compelled to return to Oz at the end of the movie. Ultimately, Erivo delivers another beautiful and complex performance.
Let’s talk about Glinda. Briefly. I’ll keep it brief because everyone and their mom loves to only talk about Ariana Grande in Wicked, and “Poor Glinda, she lost her man,” blah blah blah. They completely disregard the actual main character and the fact that she literally LOSES EVERYTHING and is just a good person who suffers for no reason. Grande was great and all, but it’s time to give the almost EGOT-status powerhouse her well-deserved flowers and bring the focus back to the protagonist.
“The Girl in the Bubble” song, as well as Glinda’s flashback, were added to the movie from the original musical, both attempting to give Glinda more sympathy and exposition. My opinion: wholly unnecessary. Don’t get me wrong, she goes through a lot and still has to put on a facade for the sake of Ozians. However, Grande displayed enough of Glinda’s internal struggles through her acting that neither addition was needed in my opinion. That’s like someone crying and then singing a song called, “I’m Crying cause I’m Sad”. The song itself was also just boring lyrically, range-wise, and cinematographically. Yes, the movie does focus more on Glinda’s desire to be magical, so the flashback helps assist the surprise ending’s significance. Still, unnecessary.
OKAY BUT ELPHABA AND GLINDA SAYING “I LOVE YOU”?!?!?! OH MY GOSH. That was NOT in the musical and made me cry so much harder. It was a line so desperately needed, but I’m so glad they included it as their final parting words. I’m a wreck.
There was such a stunning visual dichotomy towards the middle of the film that showed two pivotal moments in the girl’s lives. Having Glinda hopefully floating down the aisle, her veil gliding behind her with grace, compared to Elphaba descending into the Wizard’s lair, containing his lies, her cape dragging hastily behind her with unease. Even the lighting, Glinda being forward-lit and glowing, with Elphaba backlit as she falls further into the darkness. Having both scenes toggle back and forth was captivating.
And finally, Jon M. Chu’s choice in adding Glinda to the song “Wonderful” between the Wizard and Elphaba was an essential addition. Even though the musical clearly showcases the strong friendship between Elphaba and Glinda, the movies have had more runtime and resources to exemplify their bond. As the Wizard tries to convince Elphaba to join him, she remains skeptical and guarded. Glinda was a much-needed addition to allow Elphaba to let her guard down to someone she could trust.
Supporting Cast
While the two leading ladies continue to hold our hearts, the supporting cast did not fall short in the slightest. Ethan Slater is getting so much praise for how his performance after becoming the Tin Man was beyond frightening. His pure hatred and rage in “March of the Witch Hunters” was incredible, really showcasing how he has become heartless. This is further implied by his brief moment looking at Glinda, the girl he loved, and showing nothing for her anymore.
Jonathan Bailey was such a compelling Fiyero. His ability to control his microexpressions to convey his yearning and desires is incredible. Jeff Goldblum was fine, but if we are honest, he was kind of just playing himself. It kind of works for the Wizard character since he’s somewhat ambiguous, but I thought he played a decent depiction of the Wizard nonetheless. Michelle Yeoh is also pretty scary, although some of her lines fell flat for me, especially her lines meant to frantically warn people of ‘the witch’. I didn’t mind her singing; she only sang like twice for 30 seconds, and it worked for me. She did well as a manipulative and calculated Madame Morrible; my own mom was scared of her.
Why Weren’t the Ruby Slippers Red?
Another deviation from the musical is slightly more complex, but one that was successfully pulled off. In the musical, the character Nessarose is cast by an able-bodied person because in Act Two, she is able to walk. Casting Marissa Bode, I was curious as to how the movie was going to carry this task. Movies have more options available, such as having her on wires or CGI of sorts. The route they ended with, I thought, was extremely fitting.
In Wicked: For Good, Elphaba visits her sister after a year of disappearing, for Nessa to ask her for ‘help’. She asks Elphaba to make her feel like she did that night at the Ozdust, where she felt like she was “floating”. It isn’t an explicit request of “make me able to walk” like it is in the musical, which makes what happens work for the film. The Grimmerie time and time again opens randomly to spells that relate to a character’s struggles or wishes, so naturally, it opens to a floating spell.
Elphaba chants a spell, and Nessa’s shoes turn red, allowing her to levitate. She is elated and seems to be satisfied with the result. However, this makes Boq believe that Nessa won’t need him as much anymore, so he attempts to flee her. The moment Nessa isn’t happy anymore, she floats back down into her chair, and her shoes become silver again for the rest of the movie.
How I interpret it is that Nessa’s spirits were lifted with the magical red shoes. Somehow, the magic is tied to her emotions. Potentially, because of Elphaba not knowing what exactly it was that Nessa wanted from her. Nessa remains in the chair for her two final scenes, her shoes still silver due to her deep distress. Even when Dorothy wears them later, they are still silver. This change not only keeps the rest of the movie’s plot points consistent, but subtly demonstrates that Nessa didn’t need to be “fixed” from her disability.
Ending Interpretations
Wicked: For Good concludes bittersweetly with Elphaba and Fiyero (now the Scarecrow) escaping to “The Land Beyond Oz” after both being assumed dead. Glinda and Elphaba share a moment across lands, as a final goodbye, and suddenly, the Grimmerie opens for Glinda (it only opens for those who can read it).
Elphaba was able to read this lost magical language because she was a child of both worlds, both our real world (from the Wizard) and Oz (from her mother). However, when she crosses into this other world, I believe that one of two things happened: either she released her powers to Glinda, not needing them, or that her powers were contingent on her being in Oz, and the moment she left, they went to the next ‘most worthy’ person.
I recently saw that fans translated the spell the Grimmerie opens up to is a healing spell, one that was meant to help Glinda recover from everything that she has to live with. This could either have been a choice from Elphaba or the Grimmerie choosing a spell that would help Glinda the most (as it does throughout the film).
It might go without saying as to WHY they couldn’t tell Glinda they were still alive. She would want to join them, want them to come back to Oz, try and clear their names even more, etc. Still, it’s always so heartbreaking to relive watching this ending, Glinda alone, and Elphaba and Fiyero having an undetermined fate. It is comforting to know that the animals were able to safely return to Oz and that the Wizard and Madame Morrible were dethroned from their corrupt positions.
To conclude, I think this movie was incredibly successful in terms of how almost every choice was approached. It is clear that the amount of love and care that was poured into these films from everyone involved. After seeing the sequel, I will say that for my mental health, I’ll be much more likely to rewatch the first movie. It is much lighter and can stand alone well, even with the cliffhanger.