Movie Review: Wicked: For Good

 The Freaking Film Fanatic with Nathan Unck

Wicked: For Good      Rated: PG for thematic elements

    So, I am a really big fan of stage plays and musicals. I have been in a lot of them myself over the years, but I am not exactly rich, so I only go to a Broadway touring company tour here in Salt Lake City. There are some really great shows I have seen, and there are ones I have never seen, but always wanted to. Wicked falls into the latter. I really enjoyed the first Wicked film, but Wicked itself falls into a category that I described when I reviewed the last Mission: Impossible film. When you see the first part, you are only seeing one half of the story, so I have to review the films on their own, but then after seeing both parts, I am able to review the films as if they are one continuous film. So, I will review this entry on its own, and then how I feel about seeing the films back-to-back, since I rewatched the first one a couple of hours before I left to see Wicked: For Good.

    Wicked: For Good starts off a year or two after the last event in the first film. The Wizard and Madame Morrible are spreading propaganda that Elphaba is an evil wicked witch all over Oz. They are also trying to use Glinda to make everyone think that she is magical and to lift people's spirits, especially since Elphaba is trying to turn the tables. I don't want to give too much away, but we are then introduced to Dorthy, although we never see her face, and her traveling companions, and how they came to be, and go through the story of The Wizard of Oz that we all know. 

    From what I understand, Wicked: For Good has a few original songs that weren't in the stage play that help with the running time, which this one is twenty minutes shorter that the first part. The songs are good, and the characters are all great. The set designs and the costumes and practical effects are fantastic. The movie really does look incredible. There were twists and turns that I was surprised with, since I haven't seen the stage version, and they were really cool to see how they fit into the story, especially since Wicked is told as the wicked witch's story. 

    The performances from Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande are great, and this second half gives Ariana Grande more to do, even though she was in the first part most of the time, but she has more emotions and twists in the story for her character that make her feel like she is an equal star of the film with Cynthia Erivo, where as she was more of the supporting star in the first half. I have to say I actually really enjoyed Ariana Grande when I originally thought I wouldn't. Jeff Goldblum is one of my favorite actors, and he is great as the Wizard in both parts, as well as Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible. The rest of the cast, all of the singers and dancers are all great, and I feel that director Jon M. Chu nailed those big numbers with hundreds of dancer/actors. 

    At the end of the first film, they have the show-stopping musical number "Defying Gravity", where the music soars as well as Elphaba on her broom. I remember telling my wife that if the new Superman movie had Superman flying around like Elphaba in that scene, that it will be great, and I really enjoyed Superman. However, there is a problem with the first film ending on with that song and exhilarating action, Wicked: For Good starts off with a slow pace. The songs are nice and the look of the film is great, but the story's first 45 minutes are slow and not as interesting as where the first film pulls you right into the action. However, after those 45 minutes the film really starts to get going again and has a really entertaining conclusion, though I feel that the songs in Wicked: For Good weren't quite as great as the first half, but they are good.

    So that is how I feel about Wicked: For Good, but here is how it felt when I watched the first film, and then left to go see the second part, I did that to see how it would feel to watch all five hours of the Wicked story together, and that's where it gets tricky. Like I said, the first half has the best songs, and when they ended part one with the best song in the whole show, and Elphaba flying on her broom at neck-breaking speed, and then the next scene going into part two, it hits a climax, but then you get that 45-minute slowdown time. It's not terrible, but it does feel a little bit disconnected. The first 45 minutes really do tell you a little bit about what has happened in the time gap between the two films. Together it just feels like a drag. 

    If you loved the first film, you will love Wicked: For Good. The new songs and the twists and turns in the plot, especially if you are like me where you haven't seen the stage production, are fun. The characters are still interesting, and you really care for both Elphaba and Glinda and how they are trying to have a friendship, but Gilinda is also being used by the Wizard to make everyone think that they are safe and in control of the situation. If you didn't like the first film, then you aren't going to be converted to the story and how it plays out, but it is a very emotional film, and I recommend seeing it in theaters.

    Wicked: For Good is rated PG for thematic elements.