Wicked: For Good is good, but does it Defy Gravity like the first?
By Bella Averett
Wicked the musical took over Broadway in 2003, the first Wicked movie became a world sensation, and the latest addition to the Wicked universe seems to be following suit, but does it have what it takes to be compared to those immensely “Popular” crowd-pullers? In the dimly lit AMC theatre packed with pink and green, I had to see for myself.
The new film following the second act of the hit musical surrounds Elphaba post ‘Defying Gravity’ in a state of absolute isolation from Oz. Naturally, the movie starts off with a song similar to the Wicked act one start, ‘No One Mourns the Wicked’. This song was a movie original rather than a classic Broadway hit and it reflected that, but that can be expected knowing that this movie is a rendition of Wicked act two rather than its own musical. The main thing that brings this song down is the faulty singing abilities of Michelle Yeoh. She is an unbelievable actor in other roles, but she struggles here due to her blatant lack of singing expertise.
The original opening of act 2 ‘Thank Goodness’ was very well done by Miss Ariana Grande thanks to her crystal-clear star-power. She sings her way through any technical faults of the movie, and looking past the occasional substandard qualities of the film, you can see Ariana shine. The superficial stereotypical ‘blonde in pink’ characteristics that Glinda shows in the beginning of Wicked: For Good, were flawlessly executed by Grande! She unexpectedly showcased her soulful pop-star vocals as well, sealing her opening performance. This movie comes across as a film that was made just for Ariana.
This was swiftly followed by a series of seemingly uneventful filler aspects, such as the new green girl ballad ‘No Place Like Home’, whereupon Elphaba sang to the animals about staying in Oz despite the hate and oppression displayed by the cruel dictators of the magical land. In essence, I disliked the supplementary number, but the focus on the underlying themes of Wicked that include critiques of authoritarianism, propaganda, and scapegoating are important to shed light on in this story. I saw this theme continue in the storyline of Nessa and her journey as tyrannical governor to spite her ex “situationship.” Although, Marissa Bode, did not give soul vocally in the iconic ‘Wicked Witch of the East’, she was very clearly one of the most wicked witches of the film. Now, I do not know what she was attempting to portray in her small amount of time in this story, but I struggled to follow who she was and what her exigency was.
The following song ‘Wonderful’ returned to the same political ideologies. Jeff Goldblum, the Wizard, says his lyrics in a “silly” manner to hide the absurdities of what he is really saying. The song is truly a political commentary, and the movie depicts it very triumphantly. The unfailing catchiness of song-and-dance in the first film has simply not gained rivalry thus far.
The story moves on and the pointy-hatted, green of flesh animal activist Elphaba Thropp managed to liberate cages of Goldblooms’ trapped animals and simultaneously liberate Prince Fiyero from his wedding to Glinda. Despite the lengthened first half of the film, this sequence of events was squeezed into a terse amount of time, leaving much up for speculation. Such as the puzzling question of Glinda's quick re-friendship towards Elphaba despite the green witch’s new relationship with Glinda's ex-fiancé. On top of that, that aforementioned fiancé happens to be People Magazine’s newest heartthrob. To the viewers, myself included, that is more unfathomable than the talking animals and green complexion.
On a different note, the show picks up after this point. After Glinda's glamourous, yet quintessential isolated moment in her wedding chapel, the movie peaks my interest with the bold and well performed love ballad of Elphaba and Fiyero. Although it does not include the iconic transition from ‘I’m Not That Girl (Reprise),’ The unfiltered talent of Cynthia Erivo and Jonathan Bailey shines. I may be strict on this specific number due to my previous love for this song in the original musical, but I struggled to appreciate parts of this performance blocking wise just due to the lack of connection and romance. The song typically sung face-to-face was altered into a lengthened version with more instrumentals, yet less of that previously mentioned face-to-face connection. Altogether, this track was saved thanks purely to the actors’ aptitudes.
Wicked: For Good continued its mediocracy with occasional virtuous moments up until the performance of the year which was Cynthia Erivo's performance of ‘No Good Deed’. She effortlessly stole the show the second this song started. The Spotify soundtrack lacks the initial scream of “Fiyero”, but nothing could capture the excitement, yet anxiousness in my soul during the transition of Ariana Grande’s scream into the song. The Emmy, Grammy, and Tony winner did not disappoint long-term fans, nor first-time watchers with her miraculous emotion and uncontaminated talent. With her perfectly clean belting, to the breathtakingly emotional guttural scream for Fiyero, Erivo left every theater-goer astounded.
Still quivering from Cynthia’s performance, I patiently waited to see what Ethan Slater would do in the song ‘March of the Witch Hunters’. My mind fogged with doubt thanks to questioning internet personas who did not expect much from his angry performance, but I was unequivocally proved wrong. Simple Boq transformed into the angry in-depth character with only simple words. From “Listen Nessa…” In Wicked to the “I have a personal score to settle with El.” Slater gave one of the best performances of the film.
The story then aligned with the original Wizard of Oz and little miss Dorothy appears fully ready to melt the green scapegoat. Jon M. Chu makes an interesting choice to keep Dorothy faceless in what I presume was a homage to Judy Garland. Sitting in the cinema I was jarred by a faceless girl representing a major part in the story, but as I continued to think it over I came to love that choice. It became my favorite directorial choice. This scene includes the now world-famous song of friendship ‘For Good,’ and quite the tear-jerking one at that. ‘For Good’ is an incredibly composed song following hardships and beauty in female friendship and love as a whole. The emotion in the endless interviews done by Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande prepared me for an especially emotional scene, so I knew they would give their all, and I was correct. The purity of emotion displayed by the characters made fans question how Dorothy could have thrown that water on Elphaba—and that may be a strange plot-hole to the story—but it sure reflects the connection between Ariana and Cynthia.
Wicked: For Good undoubtably had a slow start and questionable middle, but the overall characteristics of the film make it to be an incredibly enjoyable experience for viewers of many ages. The producers may have used too many funds on the animal CGI to focus on burlap Jonathan Bailey and young Jeff Goldbloom, but the integrity and skill of the cast and crew makes Wicked: For Good a righteous way to spend two and a half hours. Cinematically it cannot compare to the captivating first film and I may have to agree with many other viewers who declared that there should have been a singular film, but as someone who loves a good musical, loves a trip to the movie theater, and simply loves movies I had a blast. Don’t expect to see a movie worth 100% in rotten tomatoes nor a movie with critical acclaim, but everyone should let their minds “Defy Gravity” and watch this.