Wicked: For Good
Starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande
Rated M
3.5/5
Wicked: For Good, the second part of John Chu’s epic film adaptation of the hit Broadway musical, won’t win over non-fans (largely due to the messy plot), but For Good will delight fans for the same well-acted, beautifully-produced reasons as last year’s Part One.
Erivo is still a sensitive, commanding force as Elphaba, a freedom fighter branded a public enemy by Oz, and Grande is a ditz of deep pathos as Glinda, a beloved public figure in a regime she secretly abhors. The musical numbers are joyful and lavishly-staged, the art direction is still stunning, and For Good has a darker, more mature tone.
The oppression of Oz’s talking animals is a major focus in the first Wicked film but almost an afterthought here. I felt little sympathy for Elphaba’s sister Nessarose (Marissa Bode), who strips the Munchkins of their rights out of spurned love, and as a dictator who supports (albeit reluctantly) a worse dictator, I can’t shake the impression that Nessarose is essentially Oz’s Mussolini. A contrived love triangle emerges between Elphaba, Glinda and Captain Fiero (Jonathan Bailey) in the rushed third act, along with an incredibly obvious twist about Elphaba’s origins, and even with the bad guys deposed and displaced in the end, it troubles me that Glinda retains her power and prestige by preserving the oppressors’ deceptive narrative.
Moreover, much like that mediocre Dark Tower movie from 2017, For Good is less interesting when it draws directly from L. Frank Baum’s novel and the 1933 Wizard of Oz film, with cameos from Dorothy (whose face is never shown) and a poignant but inconsequential subplot about the creation of her companions.
Lively, vibrant and moving but sloppily-plotted, Wicked: For Good is like the title – good, not great – and is playing in most Victorian cinemas.
– Seth Lukas Hynes
