Wicked: For Good

Wicked: For Good is the much anticipated conclusion of the transformation story of the Wicked Witch of the West. A movie that manages to take the 1-hour 2nd Act from Wicked and stretch it several clock ticks over 2-hours. The amazing parts are thrillifying but the slow parts are most confusifying and will leave you wondering why they were ever added. Still it is a sight to behold and fans of the franchise will revel in the costumes and incredible musical performances.

Synopsis: Elphaba, the future Wicked Witch of the West and her relationship with Glinda, the Good Witch of the North. The second of a two-part feature film adaptation of the Broadway musical. | 2h 18m | PG for action/violence, some suggestive material and thematic material

Wicked: For Good picks up seamlessly where Wicked left off. Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) has been branded as wicked by The Wizard (Jeff Goldblum) and Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh), Glinda (Ariana Grande) has been tasked with bringing hope and goodness to the land of Oz as only Glinda can. Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey) finds himself torn between his love for Elphaba and his new role as head of the Oz Guard. Plus Glinda has plans of her own for Mr Fiyero. If you have ever watched The Wizard of Oz you get the scope and vibe of what is happening since much of this story intertwines with that one.

One of the main selling points to Wicked – other than the music – is the creative backstory of how the characters in the Wizard of Oz became that way. They are played out correctly here though I feel at times they are rushed over in anticipation of a new song. If the story of Wicked is all new to you, you would want these moments to have a stronger impact and hit harder. Those of us who know what is coming would still like to sit in them for a moment. This version being quantity and more quantity had to sacrifice impact a bit to get it all in.

The visuals are stunning with seat shaking sound. As a kid I was always terrorized by the flying monkeys, here they had the same impact and brought me straight back to my childhood. Even though we understand how they became, they are still intense. Elphaba does a lot of flying on her own with some acrobatic broom maneuvers. It was like watching a speeder cut through the trees of Endor. Glinda flys around too, just not as fast in her new little bubble craft.

What is a musical without songs? A movie. This one has enough songs to carry over into another musical. All of the numbers you love from the stage play with – for good or not – several new ones as well. Sadly it is the new additions we could have done without. They added more to the run time and less to the story development. The upside is that they were all performed exceptionally. If you have to have them in there they better be well done, and these exceeded that.

I was not sure there would ever be a better Glinda than Kristin Chenoweth. And though better might not be accurate, Ariana Grande has must assuredly Galindafied this character and role. She truly is so good. Glinda is such a vital part of Oz’s story and we have to live, laugh, love every minute of her. Grande’s ability to seem confused and lost but then deliver a hilarious or powerful statement takes not just expert timing but a sense of everything else in the scene. Add to that her flawless vocals and, well, I never want to see anyone else in a screen version.

The first time I saw Wicked on stage I was so sad and heartbroken by Elphaba’s journey. Cynthia Erivo elevates that in her performance by just the sadness she is able to show in her eyes. Then we see that sadness ignite into a righteous and justifiable anger, and that is what makes Elphaba such a layered and powerful character. Like Grande the vocals from Erivo are moving and without fault.

WICKED: FOR GOOD. Bottom line it is a must see. Even with the dull moments and script decisions, it is still an exceptional piece of film making Director Jon M. Chu once again captured the most important parts of the themes and emotions of Wicked; which was vital. The rest is all up to opinion.

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Matt Mungle

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