Warning: Spoilers for Wicked: For Good ahead!
We’re back! Exactly one year after the first part of the cinematic adaptation of the hit Ozian musical Wicked hit the big screen, Wicked: For Good has arrived in cinemas. After the events of what is now collectively known as “Part 1,” we focus on Elphaba’s struggle to expose the Wizard of Oz. In contrast, Glinda struggles to maintain her new “spokesperson of the Wizard” identity with her relationship with the “Wicked Witch.”
Elphaba, played by Cynthia Erivo, is now feared as the Wicked Witch of the West who works to expose the Wizard’s cruelty toward animals, while Glinda, played by Ariana Grande, is chosen as the Wizard’s (Jeff Goldblum) spokesperson, and becomes increasingly conflicted. Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey), promoted to Captain of the Gale Force and engaged to Glinda, secretly still cares for Elphaba. As Elphaba discovers fleeing animals- including her nanny Dulcibear, she’s exposed by the Cowardly Lion (Colman Domingo), while in Munchkinland her sister Nessarose, now a harsh and restrictive governor, begs Elphaba for magical help that accidentally results in Nessa’s enchanted slippers and Boq’s (Ethan Slater) transformation into the Tin Woodsman. Elphaba and Glinda later confront the Wizard, nearly siding with him until Elphaba discovers imprisoned animals and frees them, derailing Glinda’s wedding and prompting Fiyero to defect to her side. The Wizard and Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh) summon a cyclone, killing Nessa and bringing Dorothy to Oz, leading to a rift between Elphaba and Glinda and Fiyero’s torture—until Elphaba transforms him into the Scarecrow to save him. Accepting her reputation as “wicked,” Elphaba prepares for the mob’s arrival; after a final goodbye with Glinda, she fakes her own melting and escapes with Fiyero. Glinda uncovers the Wizard’s connection to Elphaba’s past, forces him to leave Oz, imprisons Morrible, restores rights to animals, and becomes Glinda the Good, while Elphaba and Fiyero leave together for the Land Beyond Oz as the Grimmerie opens for Glinda.
Just like Part 1, For Good is a complete revamp of the iconic land of Oz and, like the first, is visually stunning. Now augmented by the freshly opened Yellow Brick Road as proposed in Wicked, the entire spread looks like the crumbling utopia that Jon M. Chu and so many others have portrayed it to be. Specifically, amid the scenes of the beautiful Emerald City and the homey countryside of Munchkinland are scenes of animal abuse and deforestation, particularly in the opener of this film, where a herd of bison/rhino/things is forced to help lay out the foundations of the Yellow Brick Road. In fact, this film focuses more on the dark, seedy places of this world than its bejeweled surface, appropriately for the new truth-seeking tone we see here.
Again, the acting here is phenomenal, with Grande and Erivo’s portrayals of the two witches failing to disappoint once again. In fact, one really has to take into stride both Elphaba and Glinda’s final heartfelt goodbye, along with the performance of the song “For Good,” being almost completely improvised. In fact, arguably the duo’s performance here is even better than theirs in Part 1! Glinda, in particular, seems a lot more emotional and has a much more human characterization against her usual head-in-the-clouds personality in Wicked, even going so far as actually crying in several emotional scenes, most notably the “For Good” scene and when her wedding is crashed. Throughout this film, she undergoes a major change from just being the face of goodness to becoming the de facto leader of Oz, and unlocking her magical potential at last when the Grimmerie opens itself for her. Meanwhile, Elphaba’s iron will is even more amplified thanks to Erivo’s fiery personality as the Wicked Witch, and it’s held strong even in the face of failure, like her trying to persuade the animals to join her cause or trying to spread the word of the Wizard’s treachery only to have her message of “Our Wizard Lies” in the clouds be twisted into “Oz Dies” by Morrible.
In addition to the extraordinary performances of these actors, we can see a hefty dosage of Easter eggs scattered throughout the film, most notably in the final flashback scene, where Elphaba and Glinda reenact the original musical poster, with Glinda, wearing a white hood, whispering into a grinning, hat-wearing Elphaba’s ear. In addition, Elphaba’s heavenly message also harkens back to the original The Wizard of Oz film, where that rendition of the Wicked Witch writes with the clouds, “Surrender, Dorothy,” and Erivo herself lets fly a Margaret Hamilton-approved Wicked Witch cackle while fighting Glinda, much to the latter’s exasperation.
Overall, For Good’s promise of an epic conclusion to the Wicked movie saga does not disappoint. The musical numbers are entertaining, the acting is phenomenal, and the characters are so filled with life that you can’t help but root for them throughout the film. Truly, it’s something that will change you for the better.
