“I’ve heard it said that people come into our lives for a reason, bringing something we must learn. And we are led to those who help us most to grow if we let them, then we help them in return. Well, I don’t know if I believe that’s true. But I know I’m who I am today, because I knew you. Like a comet pulled from orbit, as it passes the sun. Like a stream that meets a boulder, halfway through the wood. Who can say if I’ve been changed for the better? But because I knew you, I have been changed for good.”
In 2024, Director John M. Chu (who previously made 2018’s “Crazy Rich Asians” and 2021’s “In the Heights”) released the first part of his adaptation of the hit Broadway musical “Wicked” to great box office success and critical acclaim. The film received 10 Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture. The film ended up winning two awards, for Paul Tazewell’s Costume Design, and for the combined efforts of Nathan Crowley and Lee Sandales for Best Production Design. Despite the success, many fans were wondering how this team would adapt the second act of the play, which has garnered a reputation for being less universally beloved than Act 1.
The plot continues from the end of “Wicked,” jumping forward several years after Elphaba Thropp (played by three time Oscar nominee Cynthia Erivo, star of 2019’s “Harriet”) stole the Grimmerie from the Wonderful Wizard of Oz (played by Jeff Goldblum, star of Steven Spielberg’s 1993 film “Jurassic Park.”) Glinda (played by Ariana Grande, star of the 2021 Best Picture nominee “Don’t Look Up”) has fully entered into her role as the Good Witch, and has teamed up with Prince Fiero (played by Jonathan Bailey) to find Elphaba.
Unfortunately, they feel trapped by the Wizard and Madame Morrible (played by the legendary Michelle Yeoh, star of the 2022 Best Picture winner “Everything Everywhere All at Once”). Elphaba’s sister, Nessarose (played by Melissa Bode), has also become the governor of Munchkinland and keeps Boq (played by Ethan Slater) in a forced relationship, even though he still desires the heart of Glinda.
I will not spoil the rest of the plot, but we learn the origin of several characters who journey with Dorothy on the Yellow Brick Road throughout the story, including the Cowardly Lion (voiced by two time Academy Award nominee Colman Domingo, for the 2023 films “Rustin” and “Sing Sing.”) The makeup on the eventual Tin Man and Scarecrow were done practically, and the end result is very well executed.
While Yeoh is unfortunately not giving her best work in this film, I am pleased to say that Goldblum is still great. He has been given far more to do in “For Good” than in “Wicked,” and his musical number “Wonderful” is a lot of fun. As a movie buff, I also appreciated the homage to Charlie Chaplin’s 1940 film “The Great Dictator,” when The Wizard played and bounced the inflatable globe off his fingers.
One of my biggest issues with the original “Wicked” was the extremely desaturated and dull color grade, which did not befit The Land of Oz in all its Technicolor glory. Luckily, this issue has been corrected.
Unfortunately, the movie could have had better pacing. Individual scenes feel like they drag on just a little too long, but the rest of the plot also moves far too quickly. This may be a symptom of the fact that Act 2 is originally around an hour long, and several scenes had to be padded out and added to make the film as long as Act 1. They even got Steven Sondheim to compose two new original songs for this film, being “There Is No Place Like Home” and “Girl in the Bubble.” They were nice, but looking back, they did feel extraneous to the rest of the film.
While this may not be quite as good as the first “Wicked,” I still enjoyed my time watching this film, and if you were at all invested in Part 1, it is worth a watch. My final rating for “Wicked: For Good” is an entertaining 8/10.
