When I heard that they were planning to release Wicked in two parts last year, this felt like a head-scratching choice. Narratively, the later half of Wicked the musical isn’t as strong, and the songs aren’t as memorable. Still, I went to see Wicked: For Good with hope in my heart; maybe the film could make up for the musical’s shortcomings. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the case. Character motivations and arcs are more muddied, and at times the film flows more like a TV show. The scenes aren’t allowed to breathe and take space, and these issues eventually overwhelm the stronger aspects of the film.
The last film ended with Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) firmly distancing herself from the Wizard (Jeff Goldblum) and Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh), and in this film, she continues her war against the wizard and his misrepresentation. Glinda (Ariana Grande) is stuck in the middle of this – she loves Elphaba but does not want to fight against the institution that’s propping her up. They’ve helped her build this illusion of her as this magical being: she has Oz at her feet and Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey) at her side – what more could she want?
Wicked: For Good works as much as it does because of Ariana Grande. Her comedic physicality is fantastic, and she’s also able to take advantage of the quieter moments, as she conveys Glinda’s heartache and pain. She’s really brought to life so beautifully her own version of Glinda, which is no simple feat considering how iconic the character is. “For Good” is the best part of the movie, as both Elphaba and Glinda sing in different registers to symbolically reflect their friendship and how they’ve been changed by the other. Grande’s lower register is so gorgeous; that line of “a comet pulled from orbit” will be on repeat when I listen to the soundtrack again.
Erivo continues to deliver as Elphaba, though this film does not give her as many moments to shine as its predecessor. The “No Good Deed” set piece is fantastic – her desperation and agony such a palpable thing. Her scenes with Grande are the most watchable parts of the film, and their megawatt chemistry almost makes us lose sight of the film’s weak storytelling.
The disappointment is really Elphaba and Fiyero’s relationship. Fiyero as a character was always the third wheel in the narrative since the focus is on Elphaba and Glinda’s relationship, but he’s sidelined even more here. Jonathan Bailey nonetheless reminds us with every frame why he’s the sexiest man alive; “As Long as You’re Mine” is as combustible as it is because of his smoldering energy. When he tells Elphaba that she’s beautiful, I believe him. In lesser hands, Fiyero’s character arc gets drowned out by the numerous other narratives, but Bailey helps us see his bravery and his heart. The letdown is that Elphaba isn’t as present as we would hope in these scenes.
“As Long as You’re Mine” is supposed to be a manifestation of all that pent up longing and passion, yet Chu shoots the scene so tentatively, with Elphaba spending most of it walking away from Fiyero and wearing a cardigan like she’s in some Nicole Kidman book to TV adaptation. It’s a love scene, she shouldn’t be putting on more clothes. So when Elphaba says the line about feeling wicked, it feels almost puzzling considering not much of what she was doing felt wicked at all. This scene is a key part of Elphaba finding her sense of agency, so it all feels rather muted that this is where we end up.
As much as I love Michelle Yeoh, it does feel like she’s been miscast. She did make it clear that she can’t sing, and while the movie tries to hide it, it’s so glaring it becomes an unavoidable reality. There’s also something lacking in her characterisation of Morrible, but this is probably due to the singing issue. In musicals, the singing helps convey so much about a character, so when this aspect isn’t there, the performance won’t feel as good. Goldblum is whimsical enough to overcome his musical shortcomings, but sadly, the movie is unable to overcome its poor pacing.
It’s not all bad certainly, but I was expecting great and I got something that is simply … alright? It’s not quite defying gravity, a slight levitation feels more accurate when it comes to Wicked: For Good.
REVIEW SCORE: 3.5/5
