What is more difficult than adapting a beloved Broadway musical into a movie? Adapting a beloved Broadway musical that is infamously weaker in its second half, extending it into a two-hour long feature film without changing any of the source material, and having only eight original songs left in the chamber. Jon Chu, I don’t envy you.
After an incredible showing in Wicked Part One, Wicked: For Good sees director Jon M. Chu take on the unenviable task of adapting Act 2 into a viable big screen sequel — and the result is decent for what it’s worth. Putting aside the obvious plot flaws, which comes with the no-changing-source-material bit, Wicked: For Good has enough highs to balance out its lows to keep you in your seats until the very end.
Let’s start at the beginning. Wicked: For Good begins with a short time skip after the ending of Wicked Part One. We’re trading the youthful whimsy of Shiz for a more somber tone overall, which makes sense considering we’re in the middle of a civil war. Elphaba Thropp is still playing her role as the Wicked Witch of the West, but now we see Glinda officially embracing her title as Glinda the Good — and everything it entails.
Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande continue to carry the movie with their performances as Elphaba and Glinda respectively, even as the movie shifts the focus away from Elphaba to explore Glinda’s backstory and character motivations. The natural chemistry between the two actresses manages to overcome even the bumpiest story beats, and for once, I found myself preferring the extended version of certain scenes to drive the emotion home.
While the supporting cast doesn’t receive as much attention in Act 2, what little we get from them continues to be stellar. Jonathan Bailey (Fiyero), Ethan Slater (Boq), and Marissa Bode (Nessarose) manage to add layers of dimension to their characters, and even Jeff Goldblum (The Wizard) rounds out his brief appearance in the first movie with a stronger and more complex performance in the second one.
Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible, despite being the main antagonist in the narrative, unfortunately still leaves us unconvinced by her portrayal. While the rest of the cast seem to disappear into their roles, Michelle Yeoh still feels like Michelle Yeoh even as she is controlling Oz from the shadows. Her acting and vocal performance may not have been enough to break my immersion in the film, but definitely enough that it stood out like a sore thumb.
Where the film adaptation falters are the addition of two new tracks written by Stephen Schwartz exclusively for the movie. Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande each get one track, although neither are about to become instant classics. Erivo’s hopeful ballad No Place Like Home pads the narrative with much-appreciated world building, but doesn’t quite land as a song meant to rally the troops.
Meanwhile, The Girl in the Bubble is a gentle but powerful showcase of Grande’s vocals, but ends up hitting all the same emotional beats as earlier tracks Thank Goodness and I’m Not That Girl (Reprise). Especially considering the moment happens as the movie is ramping up towards its end, this scene ends up feeling like an unnecessary addition to pad runtime.
But low lows are met with high highs. Cynthia Erivo absolutely nails the delivery on No Good Deed like we all knew she would, and there wasn’t a single dry eye in the room when the opening notes of For Good began to play. Not forgetting Jonathan Bailey getting his moment with Erivo in As Long As You’re Mine, which wasn’t a favourite of mine before but definitely is one now.
Wicked: For Good may not be the perfect sequel, but I can say it’s still worth a watch. There’s satsifying closure following the events of the first half, and it contains some genuinely emotional moments that will stay with you days after watching it. Sure, some of the story beats are going to be strange, and some characters will make points that don’t make a lot of sense. But if you think about it, isn’t that just getting the real musical experience?
