An emotional second act with additions for a complete story.
Fast forward about a couple of years since Wicked: Part One, we witness a more dictatorial Wizard of Oz (Jeff Goldblum). Animals have been captured and abused in order to fulfil the Wizard's whims and fancies, including the construction of the Yellow Brick Road. Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), officially branded as the "Wicked Witch of the West", becomes a vigilante, using her more skilled and confident use of magic to save the animals as well as attempt to reveal the truth about the powers behind Oz. Glinda takes the mantle of the "Good Witch" (although she has no real powers of her own) as a spokesperson of the Wizard's administration, as conceptualised by Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh). There's a lot of tension between Elphaba and Glinda as they wrestle with their own personal desires as well as love for each other (and a certain Fiyero, played by Jonathan Bailey). But in the end, they do realise that it's all for good...
The tone of Wicked: For Good is a significant shift from the first film. If the first felt lighthearted and had more comedic tones, Wicked: For Good takes a darker, more emotional turn—there's no time wasted on frivolities. The characters have been forced to grow up, thrust into the uncomfortable realities of the real world outside of Shiz University, where the Wizard and Madame Morrible control every narrative deemed to not serve theirs.
I've always felt that the original Wicked musical's second act can feel somewhat rushed and not as impactful as the first, especially continuing from the crescendo that is "Defying Gravity". That explains why Wicked: For Good has a shorter runtime at 137 minutes (as compared to Wicked: Part One's 160 minutes) even with a number of additional scenes written into the film. However, the additions feel necessary to tell a more complete story and to correct some of the uncertainties from the musical. For the most part, they don't feel like additions for the sake of extending the runtime.
From the very beginning, we see Elphaba showcasing more confidence in her abilities and actually following up on what spurred her to be champion for the voiceless. We also get to see more of Madame Morrible's scheming ways and how she is the true architect of the Wizard's regime—shaping Glinda into the everything-is-good-in-the-world spokesperson by embellishing her public presence so that she's "on par" with Elphaba's magic, conceptualising propaganda against Elphaba, and of course, killing her sister (Marissa Bode) in order to lure her into the open.
For those of us who are big fans of the musical, this second act of the film now feels more Glinda-centric. As much as Elphaba's storyline sees her as the saviour and the protector of the truth, Glinda is undoubtedly the main protagonist of the film. Her arc is more dynamic as she finally gets what she wants—the adoration that she's a good, magical witch albeit with artificial enhancements—but grows to realise that having achieving them doesn't complete her nor does it make her happy. We get to see a memory of her as a child, almost like a prophecy, lying to her peers about her magical abilities. She feels constantly betrayed, not only in her professional life, but also with regards to her friendship with Elphaba and relationship with Fiyero. Yet at the end of it all, takes charge of her own life despite losing two of her greatest loves.
"For Good" is beautifully sung and performed. That's it; no notes.
It's not that I'm against intimate love scenes in film, but having one in Wicked: For Good feels a bit off. There's definitely some sort of fan-servicing going on here, with the awkwardly flirty scene between Elphaba and Fiyero as they sing "As Long As You're Mine". It was a riot watching it during the premiere (a lot of woos and claps were heard) and Bailey's over dramatisation appear quite comical (WHY DO YOU LOOK SO THIRSTY, SIR?). It was just strange. Was it necessary to include both of them undressing while singing the song? I'll leave that to you to judge.
The solos. As expected, Elphaba and Glinda have been given a new original solo each. The former deals with her attempting to persuade the animals from leaving Oz, while Glinda's is a self-reflection of sorts. Were they necessary? Perhaps. Each fleshes out the narrative even more and offers a more complete picture of the story as a whole. But they are forgettable. I can't even remember if there are any highlights in each song even if I tried.
There are slight changes in the lyrics of the some of the songs or in the way that they're sung.
Additional lines in "Thank Goodness" have been written in that serve the narrative of the film better and help to amplify the emotional tension that Glinda feels. As a fan of "No Good Deed" (I wholly believe the song deserves more recognition in the Wicked lore) that iconic belt of Fiyero's name at the beginning has now been switched to be a Glinda line as opposed to Elphaba screaming for him to be protected from harm. I'm not exactly sure how I feel about this slight tweak; it feels right for the movie in that particular scene but I would have definitely loved to hear Erivo have her moment with that. The emotions, however, are chilling—Erivo did the song justice.
Oh and there's this slight nod to Jon M Chu's Crazy Rich Asians in the way that the wedding scene (another for-film addition) was shot. It's definitely reminiscent of the wedding scene from Crazy Rich Asians, which was a nice way of paying homage to his biggest break.
We also finally discover who was actually on horseback in the scene at the beginning of the first film.
Wicked: For Good is now out in theatres.
