Ariana Grande as Glinda and Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba in a scene from "Wicked: For Good." (Photo by Giles Keyte. Courtesy of Universal Pictures)
This spell is not one I wanted to see broken. “Wicked,” or “Wicked: Part 1” for those of you keeping tabs, plopped down in theaters like an airborne house swirling in from Kansas this time last year, earning raves from many in my circle of friends and colleagues. They ooh-ed and aah-ed at what director Jon M. Chu did with the celebrated Stephen Schwartz musical that whipped up an elaborate backstory for the two witches of Oz who crossed paths with Dorothy Gale and her motley crew of misfits.
Sadly, I didn't quite share their enthusiasm, even though this story, taken from the pages of Gregory Maguire's dark fantasy novel from the 1990s, is totally my jam, as are a couple of Schwartz's songs, made puh-pew-lurrr in the song-and-dance extravaganza, that helped turn Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth into household names. In his candy-colored, Harry Potter-flavored reimagining, Chu turned this tale, already watered down for the stage from Maguire's adult-skewing prose, into a garish spectacle that felt at once bloated and narratively malnourished.
But seeing how the box office juggernaut swept so many people off their feet, I opted to keep my mouth shut, at least in long-form review form. To borrow an expression from a better musical, there was no good reason to rain on their parade. So I waited for “Wicked: Part 2.” And sharpened my knives.
Well, the bottom half of this chopped-up piece of intellectual property, since rechristened “Wicked: For Good” in a tip of the top hat to the show's soulful ballad, is finally out for matinee crowds of all demographics to savor. I was ready to tear into what just had to be more of the same vapid, CGI-driven world-building.
Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, Ariana Grande as Glinda and Jeff Goldblum as The Wizard of Oz in a scene from "Wicked: For Good." (Photo by Giles Keyte. Courtesy of Universal Pictures)
And all I can say is, um, can I have some fries with my words?
“For Good” is a leaner, more focused, more potent journey to the land conjured up by author L. Frank Baum at the dawn of the last century. Some curtain calls and playful fan service aside, this chapter in the lives of the rebellious Elphaba (the mighty Cynthia Erivo) and the more status quo-inclined Glinda (Ariana Grande) isn't nearly as weighed down by its obligation to its source material as its more rigid predecessor, granting Chu the freedom to follow his muse. The end result is breezier, more limber, without losing sight of the emotional stakes. It's “Addams Family Values” to “Part 1's” “The Addams Family,” “Magic Mike XXL” to the first film's “Magic Mike.” This is pop entertainment with more of its own identity.
Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero in a scene from "Wicked: For Good." (Photo by Giles Keyte. Courtesy of Universal Pictures)
When we left off, Elphaba, the green-skinned witch who righteously called out the corruption and prejudice of Oz's leaders, made a spectacular airborne exit from Emerald City, a most startling mic drop since, you know, she'd just belted out “Defying Gravity.” Now this tireless advocate for the rights of Oz's talking animals has gone into hiding, only making herself visible when trying to warn people about the political rot at the top.
But the Shiz University dropout faces an uphill climb, because the (not so) Wonderful Wizard of Oz (a winsome Jeff Goldblum) and Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh), Shiz's scheming Dean of Sorcery Studies, have joined forces to smear Elphaba. Their aggressive propaganda campaign portrays the gifted enchantress as a menace on a broomstick, a safety threat to Ozians that must be plucked from the skies like the wicked witch she is.
Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible and Ariana Grande as Glinda in a scene from "Wicked: For Good." (Photo by Giles Keyte. Courtesy of Universal Pictures)
Caught in this middle of this war of words, with Oz's fate hanging in the balance, is Glinda, who's been tasked with keeping people's spirits up during these tumultuous times. So she takes it upon herself to be that bridge that, she hopes, will allow her former classmate, dear friend and potential rival to effect change from within the system. You don't need to have seen the stage musical or read the novel to see where this is going.
The whole animal rights angle was never fully fleshed out in “Part 1.” There's a more committed effort in “For Good” to give their plight a little more screen time, but Chu appears to be far more interested in these Ozians' personal lives. The new film's detractors point to the fact that the musical's showstoppers have already come and gone (correct), that the new songs written for the film just aren't as good (also correct). But now that he's gotten all those obligations out of the way, Chu turns his attention to his characters' mostly unrequited romantic yearnings.
Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba in a scene from "Wicked: For Good." (Photo by Giles Keyte. Courtesy of Universal Pictures)
Let's explore this chain of disconnect among these former classmates. Nessarose (Marissa Bode), Elphaba's paraplegic sister and the governor of Munchkinland, pines away for Shiz graduate Boq (Ethan Slater), a lovelorn Munchkin, who only has eyes for Glinda. Glinda is romantically linked to Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey). Now Captain of the Wizard's Guard, he is ostensibly on the hunt for Elphaba and nursing his own crush.
For Chu, broken hearts are a more arresting agent of destruction that political unrest, though it's safe to say he's more adept at depicting Emerald City politics than the Hogwarts hogwash that bogged down “Part 1.” The feelings are sore, and the consequences are devastating. The fallout is pretty messed up, and this is definitely meant as a compliment.
Erivo and Grande went a long way toward making “Part 1” palatable. Both are a casting coup, despite my mixed feelings about “Part 1,” and they shepherd the bittersweet “For Good” over its rough spots. Yeoh, terrific as an overprotective matriarch in Chu's “Crazy Rich Asians,” lacks the venom that propels Morrible and her Machiavellian ways, but the Oscar winner gives it her best shot all the same. Bailey, a paragon of showmanship in “Part 1's” number “Dancing Through Life,” my favorite part of the previous film, but in “For Good,” he assumes more generic hero duties. I wish Chu had given People's 2025 Sexiest Man of the Year more fun stuff to do.
Ariana Grande as Glinda in a scene from "Wicked: For Good." (Photo by Giles Keyte. Courtesy of Universal Pictures)
Perhaps the weakest part of “For Good” is the way Chu tiptoes around Dorothy, reducing the visitor from Kansas to a faceless figure. Granted, this decision is in keeping with how the stage musical depicted the character, but considering how "For Good" thrives the further away it moves away from the musical's roots, Chu ought to have taken this further and given Dorothy a face and a voice. Director Walter Murch did, in his 1985 sequel “Return to Oz,” and time has been kind to that film. I'm sensing Chu knows nothing will beat Judy Garland's iconic performance, but he should have at least attempted to give the character his own imprint.
But Chu's conviction, and creative instincts, otherwise serve him well. He's crafted an airy, more confident, frequently restless musical adventure with progressive thematic heft and unmistakable echoes of Batman and the original “Star Wars” trilogy. (“Return of the Jedi's” Endor speeder chase sequence gets a nifty shout-out.) This is holiday cheese, anchored by an unlikely bond between two polar opposites and the irresistible chemistry between its stars. Even though it still left me hungering for more of the vinegar in Maguire's novel, Chu still manages to weave his own magic. See? I like stuff.
“Wicked: For Good” is now showing in wide release, including IMAX engagements at AMC Aventura 24, CMX Cinemas Dolphin 19, AMC Sunset Place 24, AMC Pembroke Lakes 9 and the AutoNation IMAX at the Museum of Discovery and Science in downtown Fort Lauderdale.
