Review: ‘Wicked: For Good’ Is Changed for the Worse
Fellow Everygirlians, good news! Your resident theater kid is back, and I’m here to talk about everything Wicked: For Good. If you remember my review of part one last year, I was terrified this movie adaptation would ruin one of my favorite musicals, but I was left pleasantly surprised. Well…it pains me to say that Wicked: For Good lacked bubble magic for me, and I think I know why.
The original Broadway musical is about 2 hours and 45 minutes, and believe it or not, Wicked (part 1) has a run time of 2 hours and 40 minutes. While you can always do more with film than IRL theater (and trust me, I’m thankful for the longer “Defying Gravity” scene), they still had to create an additional 2 hours and 20 minutes of story for Wicked: For Good.
If you watch the Broadway musical, after the show-stopping climax of “Defying Gravity,” you’re still vibrating from act one even after intermission, so the under an hour act two is executed flawlessly. While Cynthia is a vocal genius, even she can not transcend goosebumps for a year, so unfortunately, in the film version, the second part remains gravity-bound with uneven pacing, unnecessary scene building, and underdeveloped new songs. Which begs me to ask the question: Was a two-part movie necessary, or was this all a box office ploy? Below, my full review of Wicked: For Good. Warning: some spoilers ahead.
What is Wicked: For Good about?
In part one, we’re transported to Shiz University in a flashback as Glinda reflects on her relationship with Elphaba. Throughout the film, Elphaba and Glinda become unlikely besties after a lot of questionable dance moves and hair tosses, soon adding Fiyero, Boq, and Nessa to their friend group. But when Elphaba learns that animals are losing their abilities to speak, she and Glinda head to the Emerald City to meet the Wizard to ask for his help in protecting them. The pair soon realizes that the Wizard and Madame Morrible are behind the animals’ loss of their rights and abilities, and they are forced to flee. This leads us to the famous defying gravity scene, where Elphaba escapes the Wizard’s guards, leaving Glinda behind and setting up their diverging paths.
Part two picks up after this scene, with the Wizard and Madame Morrible telling the citizens of Oz that Elphaba is a wicked witch determined to kill everyone, while Elphaba tries to expose their lies. Meanwhile, Glinda has stepped into her role as Glinda the Good, helping the Wizard and Madame Morrible push their false narrative of Elphaba’s true intentions.
My review of Wicked: For Good
Glinda had an incredible character arc
While I’m not a fan of the new song “The Girl in the Bubble,” I am a massive fan of the character arc Glinda gets in this film, which isn’t as explored in the stage version. It all starts with a conversation about popularity, prompted by Fiyero after they announce their engagement, where he questions how she can possibly go along with all the lies the Wizard and Madame Morrible spew about Elphaba. She explains that the public’s love is all someone could need, but is quickly forced to reconsider this when Fiyero reminds her that Elphaba would resist all of it if the tables were turned. We learn that all Glinda ever wanted was to be magical, and her bubble finally pops in the film as she realizes she needs to use her power (influence) for good, do her part in saving Elphaba, and help restore goodness and empathy to Oz.
It’s true what they say that Wicked (part 1) was Cythnia Erivo’s show, but Wicked: For Good is carried by Ariana Grande. The film is truly such a heartwarming dialogue about growing up and facing reality, using your strengths for good, and finding inner strength when life isn’t perfect.
Boq stole the show
Much like Glinda, Boq also got more airtime in this version, and I’m not mad about it…in fact, he is my favorite part of the film. While it’s obvious why one would be pissed at being turned from a human to a tin man (and rightfully so), it’s exceptionally powerful to see someone who once was a close friend to Elphaba not only turn on her, but lead the mob that is out to murder her. In the stage version, we don’t get the same insight into Boq’s anger and how it fuels his revenge. This was an exceptional use of additional time IMO. It was a twist that gripped me, left me on edge, and made me realize that we can all fall victim to propaganda and lose our grip on reality.
Jonathan Bailey was the perfect Fiyero
I would be remiss not to mention the Jonathan Bailey of it all. If you were on the fence on whether Johnathan Bailey deserved his Sexiest Man of the Year title, rest assured, this film will be all the convincing you need. The perfectly tailored green pants, his unwavering protection for Elphaba, his deep care for Glinda, and let’s be honest…abs in the “As Long as your Mine” scene (which makes up for Elphaba’s weird ratty grey sex cardigan), the list goes on as to why he is so swoon-worthy both in Oz and IRL.
Oz isn’t far from our reality
What really sets part two apart from part one is how much deeper the film’s messaging goes. Art imitates life, and, without getting too political, the themes from Wicked: For Good are incredibly relevant. From conversations about rumors vs. facts to travel permits required for certain groups in Oz to the villainization of the “other,” Oz didn’t feel far from our reality. I encourage everyone to scan for parallels between what is happening in Oz and our everyday lives outside the theater, and ask yourself whether you’re standing up for what’s right like Elphaba, or adopting Glinda’s initial view of ignoring what makes you uncomfortable because it disrupts your personal status quo. After all, there is no place like home.
My issues with Wicked: For Good
I would be remiss not to call out a couple of things that left me confusified during the movie. The first being the matte color grading choices used by Jon M. Chu. He’s defended this artistic decision by explaining that it makes Oz more life-like, driving us to focus on the witches’ friendship rather than the spectacle of Oz. However, this choice left Oz feeling drab to me when I believe it should have been overly grand to juxtapose the Wizard’s reality and the animals’ having to flee underground to the nothingness, which was quite literally painted as a beige, never-ending desert in a dust storm.
My second qualm dates back to the OG musical, and it’s with the line “It’s not lying, it’s looking at things another way,” which Fiyero originally says to Elphaba, and she later repeats to him once he is turned to straw. Now, I understand the sentiment behind this, but it’s one thing to say it to someone who has an unfortunate magical accident that results in an alternate appearance, versus saying it to someone who was born with a different skin tone and has been othered their entire life. It completely dilutes his decision to be with her because it reads as if he’s making some godly sacrifice. It also furthers the narrative that women of color, specifically dark skinned women, are less desirable than white women (Like Glinda), and that Elphaba should feel lucky golden boy Fiyero chose her.
Additionally, while I know their only option was to flee into the nothingness, this exacerbated my discomfort because it felt more like a “love in secret” trope rather than a “forbidden romance” trope. I know this isn’t the main messaging of the story, but given that we expanded the commentary by an additional 2 hours and 20 minutes, surely we could have depended this moment. How meaningful would it have been for Elphaba to realize she is just as desirable as Glinda? Perhaps if we had taken the time to investigate this part of the story more, the ending would feel more hopeful and happily-ever-after rather than tragic.
So, should you see Wicked: For Good?
Before people come at me with pitchforks, let me preface by saying that Wicked was the show that inspired me to pursue a career in theatre, so I’m always going to be defensive of anything that deviates from the original. But even with that said, I’m beyond happy that a movie version made this incredible story more accessible, and hopefully shared the magic of musical theater with others who might otherwise have written it off. At the end of the day, this story still leaves a handprint on my heart, and I am changed for good because of it. So, whether you’re a musical aficionado or you’ve never seen one, Wicked: For Good is worth watching, even if it didn’t live up to part one in my eyes.
Bryanna Cuthill, Contributing Writer
Bryanna Cuthill is an NYC-based writer with a Bachelor of Music in Music Theatre from Baldwin Wallace University. Being a textbook hopeless romantic, and writing professional pretender on her taxes, Bryanna is no stranger to being delulu and achieving a teaspoon of success for every cup of rejection. She truly believes the pen is mightier than the sword and hopes to be the internet big sister she never had and encourage everyone to be a girl boss while also taking the time to romanticize their own life.
The post Review: ‘Wicked: For Good’ Is Changed for the Worse appeared first on The Everygirl.
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