REVIEW: We May Not Be Changed “For the Better” with ‘Wicked: For Good’
Audiences are welcomed back to Oz in the follow-up to last year’s box office hit, Wicked: Part 1, in Wicked: For Good. Picking up where Part 1 left off, audiences find Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) on a mission to prove to the citizens of Oz that their powerful Wizard (Jeff Goldblum) is nothing but a phony. Glinda (Ariana Grande), on the other hand, has fully accepted her role as Glinda the Good and is using her position to encourage the people of Oz that everything is blissfully good. However, not everything is as it seems, and as the movie progresses both ladies will come to realize that the choices they have been making maybe have not been for the good of the Ozians, but maybe only for the good of themselves.
When Director, Jon M. Chu, announced he would be splitting the movie musical into two acts, it was hard to believe he would be able to find enough material to fill another 2-hour plus movie focused on Act 2 of the musical. Act 2 was the shorter of the two acts, featuring less show-stopping numbers, and a much darker tone that was reminiscent of the novel the musical is based off of by Gregory Maguire. After watching For Good, Chu definitely did not have enough material to warrant a second movie. This movie felt disjointed as Chu attempts to balance not only Elphaba and Glinda’s separate stories, but also the story of the Wizard of Oz as well. By doing this, the audience isn’t fully able to buy into any of the stories. The focus of Act 2 is how the Wizard and Madame Morrible use propaganda to convince the citizens of Oz Elphaba is wicked. While at the same time, forcing audience goers to ask the question, maybe the story told in L. Frank Baum’s 1900 novel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and the 1939 movie adaptation, was not the real story all along. Maybe, we are just like the citizens of Oz, and only believe what we have been told. That message becomes entirely lost.
The musical numbers in the movie were good but didn’t feel like musical numbers. “No One Mourns the Wicked (Reprise)” into “Thank Goodness” are supposed to welcome the audience back to the musical. The two drastically different songs are supposed to set the tone for what is to come, and the songs drop the ball in the movie. Whether it was an editing choice or a directorial choice, the songs carry no umph to them. They feel weak, which ultimately becomes the trend with most of the musical numbers in this movie. The film does manages to pull off “No Good Deed”, a very defining moment for Elphaba in Act 2, wonderfully.
Two new songs were written for this movie, “No Place Like Home” sung by Erivo’s Elphaba and “Girl in the Bubble” sung by Grande’s Glinda. Composed by Wicked the Musical composer, Stephen Schwartz, the songs were good but again weak. “No Place Like Home” felt out of place while “Girl in the Bubble” helped drive Glinda’s story forward but was hard to understand at times. The real shining moment, and the musical number most fans are dying to see, is “For Good.” Erivo and Grande each give fantastic performances. Vocally they both sounded beautiful, and the scene was shot in a way that exudes the emotion of the song without taking away from the its impact with unnecessary dialogue or montages.
As for their performances, this was Glinda’s story. Most of the filler added to this movie wasto exapnd Glinda’s character. Her story is basically non-existent in Maguire’s 1995 novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, and she plays a smaller role in Act 2 compared to Elphaba. Grande had her work cut out for her and she delivered. The comedic moments, though few and far between, were delivered with ease, while her onscreen tears created tears for the audience members. She will most likely earn another “Best Support Actress” nomination at this year’s Academy Awards, and it will be well deserved. Erivo does well again as Elphaba, but her performance doesn’t shine a light to Grande’s, which is a shame because the Act 2 and the novel are such pivotal development moments in Elphaba’s journey.
Yeoh is deliciously wonderful as the villainous Madame Morrible. Though her singing leaves much to be desired, she is a joy to watch on screen. Goldblum returns as the Wizard and does well, especially when he is alongside Yeoh. Bailey is a given a little more screentime as the Captain of the Guard, Fiyero, and is dreamy as ever. The vocals on this man will have everyone swooning during “As Long as Your Mine.” Melissa Bode (Nessarose), Ethan Slater (Boq), and Colman Domingo (The Cowardly Lion) round out the cast and do well in their respective parts.
Wicked: For Good is not entirely faithful to the musical. Chu took a lot of liberties with his tale. Fans of the musical will not love some of the changes in dialogue he made, nor how he chose to tell certain parts of the story. However, the movie is still entertaining. Is it as good as Part 1, no. Should it be as long as it is, no. But it is still an enjoyable ride. If you can, catch it as a double feature and watch Part 1 before it. The overall story will hold together better if you watch Part 1 directly into For Good.
Grade: B-