For Better or For Worse, For Good or For Okay
After being blown away by the first Wicked film and having no knowledge of where the film was going next, I was eagerly anticipating the release of Wicked: For Good. Now after seeing the complete story in film, I believe I have the same reaction most fans of the stage production do: the first act is great but the second act is not as strong. Wicked: For Good is a decent film, but with a more serious tone and pacing issues it doesn’t quite reach the heights that I was expecting from it. However, this does not mean it is a bad film as the elements that made the previous film work such as the musical performances (although less), the chemistry of Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, the magnificent production design, and a touching story of friendship are still on full display to carry this film to its finish line.
Now demonized as the Wicked Witch of the West, Elphaba lives in exile in the Ozian forest, while Glinda resides at the palace in Emerald City, reveling in the perks of fame and popularity. As an angry mob rises against the Wicked Witch, she’ll need to reunite with Glinda to transform herself, and all of Oz, for good.
The friendship between Elphaba and Glinda is the heart and soul of this story and given the perfect casting and character development, it remains the film’s strongest suit here. Their frenemy dynamic is investing to watch and be a part of. Their moments of happiness and joy give you a sense of triumph and their mourning and sadness are heartbreaking. This is highlighted both in their scenes together and in their own individual contemplation, in song and in dialogue. I appreciated the authenticity of the relationship and the evolution of their characters in this story. Erivo’s and Grande’s casting are impeccable and their vocal performances complement the intensity of the moment. It is still incredible that they are singing live, particularly through running up a flight of stairs and dancing. This is acting on another level that is impressive to watch.
The remaining characters yield mixed results. While Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh) and the Wizard (Jeff Goldblum) do well with the roles they are written, I felt myself desiring more from some of the other characters. The marketing has been clear that this story does align with the events of The Wizard of Oz. When some of those characters start showing up I found it cool how Wicked incorporates them and attempts to line up the events. However, I wanted to get to know more about these versions of the characters. They don’t align with the personalities from The Wizard of Oz, which is fine but I would have been interested to see more from these versions of the characters. It does leave me with more questions and with my own imagination to fill in the gaps, where it is this story’s intention to be the “true” events of what really happened.
The themes of friendship with false rhetoric blend well together within the film. Seeing our central characters deal with false narratives and trying to live both against and into these archetypes, while trying to fight for their friendship and the greater good is particularly compelling. The big Oz machine villainizes Elphaba to the public, forcing our characters to reconcile with the suppressed truth and how events and people are easily manipulated. Our characters have to live in the reality of a lie, while also seeking to reveal the truth to a people who want to believe what they want to believe. Add this on top of fighting for friendship at the core and you have a very compelling story. The first film set up an incredible dynamic that the second film finishes well at, even if following the yellow brick road there is a bit uneven.
This film is more serious than the first film which is felt throughout its darker narrative, and song choices. “Defying Gravity” served as a pinnacle climax of the story as it induced chilling goosebumps and narrative peak and there isn’t any song that quite is able to match that fierce energy here. The songs this time around are good and the performances are astounding but they’re just not as catchy or memorable as those from the first half of the Wicked story (save for the titular song towards the end of the film). At the conclusion of the last film, I was listening to the soundtrack immediately after on my drive home and then for the next month and a half thereafter. The songs aren’t bad, they just aren’t as fun and peppy.
I can appreciate a film taking itself more seriously, especially here where it is dealing with more mature themes however the balancing of the tones is inconsistent. One scene in particular which should be a strong moment of grief for a character is immediately followed with a humorous squabble between two characters. Characters are using more giddy and off-beat terms while having serious conversations about death. Characters wrestle with the morality of their identities but not being given enough depth to explore them. These choices are more or less a result of directional choices and adding in additional material to expand the story than anything wrong that comes from the source material.
From what I have heard, the original Broadway production possess some of the similar issues as I mentioned above. While adding more new songs would be controversial, there is an opportunity from a directing standpoint to approach things from a different angle to balance things out. However if this is a faithful adaptation to the original production and fans love the original production, then they won’t find much that lets them down. But for those that were new to the story (such as myself) and experiencing it for the first time, the second half of the story doesn’t quite live up to the awesome legacy of the first half.
To be clear I am not saying that Wicked: For Good is a bad movie, It is just not as strong as the first, and from what I have heard from my friends and what I have read online about the stage adaptation, the first act of the play is much stronger than the second act of the play. What that means for you is that if you like the entire stage adaptation of the play, including the second part I think you will find this to be a very faithful adaptation. But if you were like me and were aware of nothing about the story and how it would turn out you might find yourself a little more disappointed compared with how excellent the first half was. I would certainly recommend you still see it in theaters for the musical sequences and production value, but there certainly isn’t as big of a push to see it compared with the show-stopping ability of the first film.
(C +) Fine
Raj Reviews 