Premiering last year, “Wicked” was released as the first half of a two-part movie duology. The heart-wrenching conclusion, “Wicked: For Good,” debuted on Nov. 21, completing the wickedly emotional and magical story. Acting as a remake of the 2003 Broadway musical, “Wicked: For Good” follows the original storyline while adding several new scenes, three original songs and even a slight alternate ending.
The first of the two films, “Wicked,” introduces the audience to the two leading witches, Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and Glinda (Ariana Grande-Butera). “Wicked” watches as they begin their epic journeys attending Shiz University, meeting each other, loathing each other and then eventually becoming friends. “Wicked: For Good” takes place five years after the original film, where we see that Elphaba and Glinda have gone their separate ways, both fulfilling their opposite roles in the magical Land of Oz. This film has a much darker and more dramatic tone in comparison to the first movie. Characters are pushed to their limits, prophecies are fulfilled and fates are met.
One of the aspects of the film I was most obsessulated with was the wonderful costumes. Every single background dancer and Munchkin was dressed in a fully custom, heavily detailed costume that perfectly fit the storyline and each scene. I couldn’t have been happier with Glinda’s gowns. They were my favorite pieces in the whole film because of how intricate and unique they were. The film also displayed multiple extreme costumes and prosthetics for characters like Elphaba, the Tin Man (Ethan Slater) and the Scarecrow (Jonathan Bailey). I was super impressed by the portrayal of the Tin Man, and despite the public’s controversial opinion, I was also quite fond of the Scarecrow’s prosthetics.
As a big fan of the original musical, I was most excited for the soundtrack. Though most of the songs stayed true to the originals, several new lyrics and creative liberties were added, which made the soundtrack even more exciting to listen to. In addition to the beloved original songs, three new tracks were added to the soundtrack titled “No Place Like Home,” “The Wicked Witch of the East” and “The Girl in the Bubble.” All of these songs better helped to tell the story of each character and fit nicely into the original soundtrack, with my personal favorite being “The Wicked Witch of the East,” as it just told the story perfectly. As for the classic songs that remained the same, Erivo’s vocals in “No Good Deed” absolutely blew me away easily making it my favorite on the soundtrack.
As opposed to the original Wicked Broadway musical, the movies dive deeper into the complexities of both the lead witches, Elphaba and Glinda. Elphaba is more of the central character in the original musical, although I noticed that this film lends more of a focus on Glinda’s storyline and the motives behind her actions, even giving her a slight alternative ending to the original. I did enjoy how the film made her a bigger character and went more in-depth into her complex emotions; however, something bad as a fan of the original is that I did find myself wishing that there was a little more Elphaba and a little less
Glinda at times. I do think that the slight alternate ending that director Jon M. Chu gave Glinda created a more positive message and happy ending, but I do feel that in doing so, the story lost its original themes of betrayal, propaganda and conflicting emotions that were really impactful. The different ending is really the only thing slightly negative I have to say about the film; other than that, this film has definitely changed me for the better and for good.
“Wicked: For Good:” ★★★★★
