By Trudi-Rose Edwards
It’s been a year since Cynthia Ervio’s Elphaba (aka The Wicked Witch of the West) defied gravity and left audiences holding space for a return to Oz, and now, at long last, part two of this ‘thrillifying’ epic is finally here in the shape of Wicked For Good.
What’s key to note is that this is part two of the same story; it is in fact, simply the second act of the stage show. Wicked For Good picks up a year after the events of the first film and audiences going in blind will feel as empty headed as Dorothy’s scarecrow. After vowing to expose the Wizard of Oz (Jeff uh, Goldblum) as the fraud that he is and to save the animals of Oz from his persecution, Elphaba is a fugitive and Public Enemy No. 1 thanks to Madame Morrible’s (Michelle Yeoh) propaganda campaign.
Meanwhile, her BFF Glinda (Ariana Grande) is firmly under Morrbile’s thumb, being used as a puppet figurehead for ‘goodness’ and touted around Oz to reassure frightened Munchkins and the like that everything is hunky dory and that their dear Wizard is nothing but a victim of Elphaba’s smear campaign. She’s also engaged to the Sexiest Man Alive (Jonathan Bailey) so things are looking pretty rosy for her.
Of course, Elphaba and Glinda must reunite and as the film progresses their friendship is put to the test. Glinda wants Elphaba to drop the evil witch act, make amends with the Wizard and come up with a sensible solution to Elphaba’s animal grievance; Elphaba knows it’s not that simple and believes resistance and rebellion is the best way forward. Further complications arise when a certain Dorothy Gale arrives in Oz, befriending a trio of individuals who have personal grievances with Elphaba.
As fun as all this is (and it is fun), the reason we’re all flocking back to the cinema is for Elphaba and Glinda – their friendship is the emotional core of the film and Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande deliver it in spades. Grande, in particular, conveys such a range of emotions – from endearingly ditzy to devastatingly heartbroken – that it seems only logical that she should snag her second Academy Award nomination. Her visceral sobbing would move even the Tin Man. Erivo’s Elphaba is steelier than in the first movie, her dogged, obsessive desire to overthrow the Wizard overshadowing the warmth she once had for those around her. This of course, being the natural progression for someone who’s spent a year on the run from angry Munchkins. When she hits her all time low, Erivo embraces the wickedness her character has long been associated with and delivers some of her finest work.
The supporting cast are wonderful too. Jonathan Bailey’s Fiyero is still charming but also morally conflicted, his tension evident in every scene. Jeff Goldblum’s Wizard is nauseatingly phoney, and Michelle Yeoh is a chilling menace (she’s also a wiz at conjuring-a-tornado-choreography, triple threat? (Sadly no, we all heard her singing)).
A refreshing surprise is Marissa Bode and Ethan Slate who play delusional Nessarose and pathetic loser Boq respectively. Both characters become more…intense…in this movie and, given the cloying levels of sweetness both performers exhibited in the first film, this change really does showcase their acting abilities.
Of course, another key aspect of Wicked For Good is the music. Seasoned stage performers Bailey and Slater don’t really have much to get their teeth into (aside from an 80s-style, synth-heavy duet (Bailey that is, not Slater)), and the singing capabilities of Bode, Goldblum and Yeoh range from serviceable to Morrible. Which leaves Erivo and Grande to do the heavy lifting. Grande takes control of the opening number Thank Goodness – hitting all the top notes and then some, and Erivo shines in No Good Deed (as does Jon M Chu’s direction, which is the most inventive in this number) and of course, their title dropping duet (or love song, let’s be honest) For Good is a show stopper. Unfortunately, Wicked has always suffered from all its best songs taking place in the first act – there’s no fun Popular-like number, or big cast ensemble pieces like What is this Feeling. Instead, we get borderline cringe mini reprisals in the opening number, and the Wizard’s number Wonderful is changed (for the better) with the inclusion of Glinda, presumably so that Grande can save us from what would been five minutes of Goldblum sing-speaking.
To offset the lack of showstopping numbers, composer Stephen Schwartz wrote two boring new numbers for Erivo and Grande. A waste of both actress’s talents.
Wicked For Good’s problems don’t end with the songs either. Pacing is oddly all over the place (although, less noticeable on repeat viewings, trust me); the opening 20 minutes suffer from choppy editing with scenes jumping around with little time to breathe. Given both movies were filmed concurrently, one suspects that the studio execs meddled following the success and feedback of the first movie.
The final twenty minutes however are a cinematic masterpiece. Everything – from the score, the cinematography, the direction to the acting, vocals and sheer emotional impact – is perfect. Glinda takes up the mantle of knight in shining armour (although ‘Glinda the Good’ really is more on brand for her) and Elphaba makes a decision that seals her fate forever. Their tearful confrontation atop a haunting castle excuses the movie’s earlier flaws and not since Titanic has a door made me sob so much (if you know, you know).
Is Wicked For Good a perfect movie? No, it just doesn’t quite come together in the same way as the first but as a continuation and conclusion of the untold story of the witches of Oz, it is truly wonderful. Thank Goodness.