Wicked: For Good is a very unique type of sequel. Before the first Wicked film was released, Universal Pictures had announced that the original Broadway play that this story is based off of would be split into two films, with the first act of the play being the first film and vice versa for the second act of the play. Despite not being that familiar with the source material and being admittedly very new to the world of musicals, I was still relatively apprehensive to the idea of this show being split into two movies. This especially true after hearing that Wicked’s second act didn’t exactly warrant its own film. The first Wicked film pleasantly surprised me with its incredible music, visuals, and performances, so much so that I wondered how the second act would match up. To be quite honest, I don’t think it did. Now, that’s not to say that this film was lackluster. It was quite the opposite in many aspects. It was refreshing to find myself back in this version of Oz. The visuals were still just as vibrant and the performances from the entire cast were still just as stellar, with Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo of course being the show stealers. (The vocal performances especially were an absolute feast for the ears.) The story even takes a much darker and more emotional turn compared to the first film as well, exploring the relationships and the moral complexities of these characters that we’ve come to know. The events of this film also tied into the events of the original Wizard of Oz film in some pretty interesting ways. However, even as someone who’s not that familiar with the musical, I could tell that this portion of the story was extended a little longer than it probably should’ve been. Compared to the first Wicked film, For Good’s pacing was a lot slower and more inconsistent, bringing the plot to a stop at some points for a musical number or a jarring character moment. The songs here, while incredibly performed and adding to the emotional resonance of certain character relations, were not as strong as the first act either. I will say, though, that despite any shortcomings this film has, still ends the story on an emotionally and narratively satisfying note with the Oscar-worthy performances and the visually impressive set pieces to boot. Director John M. Chu’s efforts and the entire cast’s efforts bringing this story and these characters to life can’t have been an easy feat and it is not taken for granted. Score: 7/10
Noah Robinson 