Last year, I ended my review of “Wicked: Part One” with cautious optimism. “For now, ‘Wicked’ is average, with the potential to be wickedly good.” Now, a year later and having seen “Wicked: For Good,” I find myself thinking the same thing. Despite the promise of its premise, “Wicked: For Good” is a mixed bag. Like The Wizard of Oz himself, the movie is half magic and half empty spectacle.
“Wicked: For Good” takes place roughly a year after the events of the first movie. At this time, Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) has been staging protests against and disrupting the plans of The Wizard of Oz (Jeff Goldblum). Meanwhile, as Elphaba fights for the rights of Ozians and animals, Glinda (Ariana Grande-Butera) has worked her way up in the Emerald City hierarchy. Glinda is now a public figure who, along with Madame Morrible (Michele Yeoh), is responsible for maintaining Ozians’ optimism and faith in The Wizard. Things come to a head between Elphaba and The Wizard as corruption in Oz intensifies. As Glinda plans to marry Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey) and Nessarose (Marissa Bode) begins her own descent into madness, Elphaba and her former friends are forced to confront their past bonds, their past feelings and their hope for the future.
Aspects of “Wicked: For Good” are undeniably compelling and well executed. I was dazzled by Paul Tazewell’s costuming — particularly Elphaba’s cloak, Fiyero’s soldier uniform and Glinda’s pastel confection dress. Further, the makeup team, led by Frances Hannon, outdid themselves with their level of detail and nuance. Through makeup, the movie convincingly conveys the passage of time. The characters appear more mature and world-weary while still being recognizably themselves.
The actors, too, take the story to new heights. The final act of the movie is entirely dependent on the talents of Erivo and Grande-Butera, who rise to the challenge. Their chemistry is undeniable, and their performances pull at the heartstrings. Goldblum and Bailey both excel at subtle acting, providing nuance through facial expression and tone in line delivery. Yeoh and Bode both lean fully into their characters’ arcs, providing delightfully unsettling performances.
Further, the musical stylings feel more cohesive. Gone are the heavy-handed synths and audio editing. In their place are lusher, simpler orchestrations that better elevate the vocal performances. Given the caliber of singing talent in the movie, I was excited to see the singing talents celebrated and allowed to drive the music.
Particularly during my favorite song, “As Long As You’re Mine,” I was glad to see the music take its cues from Erivo and Bailey rather than altering their voices to fit the music. In the showstopping 11 o’clock number “No Good Deed,” this commitment continued. The power of the song was entirely conveyed through Erivo, with the music supporting but never dictating the artistic direction she takes with the song.
Grande-Butera is still sometimes lost amidst the noise, but her singing — especially her belting — is stronger. Particularly during the title song, “For Good,” Grande-Butera proves her Broadway-style singing chops.
The thing that holds “Wicked: For Good” back is the runtime. There is not enough story for the amount of movie. I think the story could have benefited from being one above-average-length movie rather than two whole individual movies.
Often, the scenes drag or become repetitive — a lot happens over the course of the movie, but individual scenes feel directionless. This time is filled with new songs by Stephen Schwartz, but despite having the same composer as the original stage musical, these additions feel out of place and clunky compared to the other music.
And, while there are additional scenes to show the complexities of the relationships between characters, these scenes feel surface-level. Screentime is devoted to the appearance and facades of characters, but not enough time is allotted to internal conflict or change. As a result, character growth occurs abruptly and seemingly without thought. This results in a jarring, incohesive collection of moments that almost fit together, but don’t quite work when taken as a whole. The characters need more time to breathe without their facades and the pressure of the plot.
It’s a disappointing conclusion to the “Wicked” movies, which were so promising but never reached their full potential. However, this doesn’t make them unenjoyable. Even if I’m not rushing to rewatch the movies or thinking about them later, I will always remember having fun going to the theater and sharing a musical experience with a sea of people dressed in pink and green. And, knowing me, some of the movie’s renditions of the songs will end up on my playlist. If nothing else, I hope “Wicked” and “Wicked: For Good” pave the way in yellow bricks for more movie musicals to come.