Directed By Jon M. Chu; Screenplay By Winnie Holzman & Dana Fox; Starring Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, Bowen Yang, Marissa Bode, Colman Domingo, Michelle Yeoh, and Jeff Goldblum.
Based on (Act II of) Winnie Holzman & Stephen Schwartz’s 2003 stage musical adaptation of Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel of the same name inspired by L. Frank Baum’s 1900 novel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and its 1939 film iteration. Wicked: For Good follows Elphaba Thropp (Cynthia Erivo) as she must grapple with her new identity as the "Wicked Witch of the West" after challenging the Wizard (Jeff Goldblum)'s totalitarian regime in Oz. Meanwhile, Glinda (Ariana Grande) has been given the title of "Glinda the Good" and a public status as the nation's defender against Elphaba.
Last year, the first Wicked movie made quite an epic splash for two reasons. One, it made over $758,000,000 at the worldwide box office, dethroning 2008's Mamma Mia! as the highest-grossing stage-to-screen musical adaptation of all time. In an era where many have flopped such as In the Heights, Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story, and The Color Purple, this was a welcome change of pace. Two, despite being a PG-rated fantasy film, it earned 10 Oscar nominations (including Best Picture). For those who may or may not remember (or even read) my review of the previous film from last year, I liked it a lot.
Now that I’ve seen both parts, I’d say splitting this into two movies was the best decision the creative team made. If you’re familiar with the source material, you should know that Acts I & II both have very different tones. Gone is the more bright and vibrant tone of the first film, and it’s been traded for something much more serious. Similar to other musicals with darker second acts such as Oliver!, Fiddler on the Roof, and Ragtime. One of the complaints people had with Rob Marshall’s 2014 film adaptation of Into the Woods was how it adapted both acts into one movie (especially with its change of tone midway through). With Wicked split into two parts, it at least gives the story more breathing room.
Under Jon M. Chu’s direction, he successfully carries on a lot of the strengths of the first film into this one. The musical numbers are still mesmerizing to behold. Both Nathan Crowley’s production design and Paul Tazewell’s costumes continue to dazzle, Although Frances Hannon’s hair and makeup is even more impressive this time. A chief complaint people had last time was Alice Brooks’ cinematography. Does it still contain some plain white lighting? Yes, but the actual camera work is still easily the better part of it. As this installment follows parallel storylines for Elphaba and Glinda, Myron Kerstein’s editing impressively manages to balance out both of them.
Once again, screenwriters Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox successfully dived deeper into the story, characters, and world of Oz. Although Stephen Schwartz also managed to beef up some of his score from Act II of the stage version (especially in the beginning), which was a nice touch. He also wrote two brand new songs, ‘No Place Like Home’ for Elphaba and ‘The Girl in the Bubble’ for Glinda. Having as of now only heard both of them once, they have good intentions, but neither are particularly memorable. Yet Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande do at least perform both of them very well. Speaking of which, both ladies once again kill it in their respective roles.
Erivo’s Elphaba in particular has grown a lot since the last time we saw her. She may still be an outsider, but not just because of her green skin, but because of the enemy she’s been painted as by the public. Her big standout moment was easily her powerhouse rendition of ‘No Good Deed.’ With Grande’s Glinda, she may still be funny, but also works well with meatier material this time around. Together, they both share such a heartwrenching rendition of the second act’s most popular (no pun intended) number, ‘For Good.’ I must say that it’s hard not to tear up during it. Jeff Goldblum may still be more of a talk-singer, but he at least does fare better this time with his rendition of ‘Wonderful.’ Not to mention that Michelle Yeoh really comes into her own here as the true villain of the story, Madame Morrible.
How does Wicked: For Good compare to the first movie? Many will understandably prefer the latter for its bright tone and arguably more memorable songs. Plus, the story beats in the second half with the more recognizable characters from The Wizard of Oz are kind of oddly put together. The end results are probably not as accomplished as its predecessor. With that being said, it’s still a satisfying conclusion to this epic two-part adaptation of one of the biggest musicals of all time.
Rating: 4/5
Based on (Act II of) Winnie Holzman & Stephen Schwartz’s 2003 stage musical adaptation of Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel of the same name inspired by L. Frank Baum’s 1900 novel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and its 1939 film iteration. Wicked: For Good follows Elphaba Thropp (Cynthia Erivo) as she must grapple with her new identity as the "Wicked Witch of the West" after challenging the Wizard (Jeff Goldblum)'s totalitarian regime in Oz. Meanwhile, Glinda (Ariana Grande) has been given the title of "Glinda the Good" and a public status as the nation's defender against Elphaba.
Last year, the first Wicked movie made quite an epic splash for two reasons. One, it made over $758,000,000 at the worldwide box office, dethroning 2008's Mamma Mia! as the highest-grossing stage-to-screen musical adaptation of all time. In an era where many have flopped such as In the Heights, Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story, and The Color Purple, this was a welcome change of pace. Two, despite being a PG-rated fantasy film, it earned 10 Oscar nominations (including Best Picture). For those who may or may not remember (or even read) my review of the previous film from last year, I liked it a lot.
Now that I’ve seen both parts, I’d say splitting this into two movies was the best decision the creative team made. If you’re familiar with the source material, you should know that Acts I & II both have very different tones. Gone is the more bright and vibrant tone of the first film, and it’s been traded for something much more serious. Similar to other musicals with darker second acts such as Oliver!, Fiddler on the Roof, and Ragtime. One of the complaints people had with Rob Marshall’s 2014 film adaptation of Into the Woods was how it adapted both acts into one movie (especially with its change of tone midway through). With Wicked split into two parts, it at least gives the story more breathing room.
Under Jon M. Chu’s direction, he successfully carries on a lot of the strengths of the first film into this one. The musical numbers are still mesmerizing to behold. Both Nathan Crowley’s production design and Paul Tazewell’s costumes continue to dazzle, Although Frances Hannon’s hair and makeup is even more impressive this time. A chief complaint people had last time was Alice Brooks’ cinematography. Does it still contain some plain white lighting? Yes, but the actual camera work is still easily the better part of it. As this installment follows parallel storylines for Elphaba and Glinda, Myron Kerstein’s editing impressively manages to balance out both of them.
Once again, screenwriters Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox successfully dived deeper into the story, characters, and world of Oz. Although Stephen Schwartz also managed to beef up some of his score from Act II of the stage version (especially in the beginning), which was a nice touch. He also wrote two brand new songs, ‘No Place Like Home’ for Elphaba and ‘The Girl in the Bubble’ for Glinda. Having as of now only heard both of them once, they have good intentions, but neither are particularly memorable. Yet Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande do at least perform both of them very well. Speaking of which, both ladies once again kill it in their respective roles.
Erivo’s Elphaba in particular has grown a lot since the last time we saw her. She may still be an outsider, but not just because of her green skin, but because of the enemy she’s been painted as by the public. Her big standout moment was easily her powerhouse rendition of ‘No Good Deed.’ With Grande’s Glinda, she may still be funny, but also works well with meatier material this time around. Together, they both share such a heartwrenching rendition of the second act’s most popular (no pun intended) number, ‘For Good.’ I must say that it’s hard not to tear up during it. Jeff Goldblum may still be more of a talk-singer, but he at least does fare better this time with his rendition of ‘Wonderful.’ Not to mention that Michelle Yeoh really comes into her own here as the true villain of the story, Madame Morrible.
How does Wicked: For Good compare to the first movie? Many will understandably prefer the latter for its bright tone and arguably more memorable songs. Plus, the story beats in the second half with the more recognizable characters from The Wizard of Oz are kind of oddly put together. The end results are probably not as accomplished as its predecessor. With that being said, it’s still a satisfying conclusion to this epic two-part adaptation of one of the biggest musicals of all time.
Rating: 4/5