The Island Cinephile

Wicked: For Good: A glamorously hollow sequel

Directed by Jon M. Chu

“I’m off to see the Wizard.”

Elphaba

Wicked: For Good debuts a year after its parent film Wicked, with more to love and hate. We meet with our characters Glinda and Elphaba once again but not much has changed. Following along from the previous film, Elphaba is exiled and faces execution at the hands of the tractable Ozians due to propaganda spread by Madame Morrible and co-signed by the Wizard. Glinda is no saint either as she sides with the latter who provides her with popularity at the expense of her friendship with Elphaba; even as she secretly still cares for her. Elphaba is emboldened to settle this animosity by exposing the lies of the Wizard to the Ozians, saving the animals, and restoring her reputation. Then, she would, for once, be considered “Wonderful.”

Thankfully, with a shorter run-time than the first film, part two is much more palatable. The plot is very circular in nature with little progression because of repeated points and songs. Regardless, the storyline emerged as one more complete as it wrapped a lot of loose ends. The animal subplot remained irrelevant as any connection to them felt surface-level. Clearly, an allegory of modern-day America is discernable, but its poor execution left the narrative a bit jumbled. The songs were less than memorable but the brilliant score by John Powell and Stephen Schwartz would leave the audience humming “No One Mourns the Wicked.” There were many callbacks to the original Wizard of Oz which was amazing to spot. Technically, the film is beautifully shot with better color grading, gorgeous sets, and costuming. It is a visual treat for all audiences, minus a few choppy CGI cuts.

The main cast from the original reprised their roles with a new addition of the cowardly lion portrayed by Colman Domingo, who was severely underused. Glinda and Elphaba both performed well but seemed emotionally stagnated throughout until the very end. Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero provided an electrifying performance and appeared to be supremely loved by the audience if the raucous theater was anything to note. Ethan Slater returned as Boq with little screen time and even less memorability. Marissa Bode as Nessa prevailed in infamy as a selfish, and disgustingly wicked character depicted in an obvious manner. Michelle Yeoh’s interpretation of Madame Morrible was unexpectedly flat. There was little to no complexity, only the embodiment of evil as her main character trait. Jeff Goldblum as The Wizard was charismatically vapid. He appeared to be morally ambiguous, and a placeholder for a real villain which was not felt in Morrible. Evidently, part two falters on the lack of a solid character driven story. In an attempt to prevail in depth, it is obstructed by a meaningless subplot and extended musical numbers that repeat itself.

With a succinct wrap to the story, the film attempts to tug on emotional strings but suffers on account of underdeveloped characters. In my opinion, Wicked: For Good is a film that is loved by many young audiences and primarily those that have an affinity for the play itself. Outside of that, it can be categorized as one that is glamorously hollow. More focus should have been lent to a cleaner plot and stronger characters. A smidge above the first, it is considerably average for good.

Watch trailer for Wicked: For Good.

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