Part one of this adaptation took the world by storm. Fans of the musical were loving the cinematic enhancements made on the stage production, while those new to the story embraced the experience with open arms. Does part two capture the same magic and complete one of the best musical adaptations? The short answer is no.
Wicked: For Good was always going to have an uphill battle in comparison to its very blessed predecessor. Part one being based on the first act of the stage production made sense; there was about 90 minutes of content to work with, which meant they didn’t need to add anything new to pad out the runtime. There was no unnecessary stretching of sequences or random new subplots, just lightly expanded scenes that showcased the film’s cinematic edge. This film is based off barely an hour of content, so it has expanded that to an over two-hour movie… and it shows (not in a good way). The first issue comes in the form of its choppy, uneven, very stop-start pacing… especially in the first half. Rather than flowing from one plot beat to the next, with musical numbers seamlessly woven in, it feels more like a collection of scenes with not a lot of cohesion. It’s hard to gain momentum with the narrative because it’s a bit all over the place – the constant jumping between characters and locations is tonally uneven and there’s long stretches where not a lot is happening. Don’t get me wrong, there’s enjoyable moments in there and some good musical numbers, but it’s quite slow and not very “fun”… a point I’ll get to later.
The second half of the movie does get a little more streamlined. By then its moved past a lot of the setup and its characters are in more established places, so it’s a pretty smooth run through to the climax. There’s beautiful scenes, some iconic songs and great moments of relationship building that tie the whole narrative together. While the execution earlier in the film could be better, there’s no denying the fact that it lays the groundwork for a solid finale. I almost feel like they should have just bit the bullet and made it a tighter 90-minute movie, improving the flow and omitting the fluff they’ve stuffed into it. They never would… but it undoubtedly would’ve resulted in a more seamless journey. The second act leading into the climax is about as epic as this narrative gets (second to Defying Gravity), and it delivers very well in comparison to the stage show.
Another thing adding to the uphill battle this film was always going to face is the tone. The second act of the production is notoriously darker in tone, themes and content compared to the bright, uplifting vibe of the first. While that juxtaposition works side by side in the stage production, here it’s just too much of a switch when you have movies coming out a year apart. Part one thrived on the bright colours, fun college environment and upbeat musical numbers. The fact that this film lacks all of those makes it a lot harder to get into the spirit of the world and the narrative. This is one of those things that I don’t really hold against the film as it’s simply a byproduct of the source material its adapted from. Does this mean this was was always doomed to fail? Not necessarily. But I think it was never going to reach the heights of its predecessor. In terms of the musical numbers, the most memorable songs all happen to be in the first act of the production (aside from For Good), so this film lacks the huge pops that come from hearing Popular and Defying Gravity. To combat that they have a lot of brief 5-20 second reprises. They’re nice moments, but they’re honestly not very impactful and a little repetitive.
While there’s a step down in narrative, there’s no change when it comes to the strength of the performances. Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo are still two practically perfect choices for the roles of Glinda and Elphaba. There’s softness, love and care in their performances, as well as strength, confidence and determination. The characters have gone through a lot in the lead-up to the events of this film, and both actors bring that out in their performances. Their chemistry is off the charts, beautifully selling us on the connection the two share, leading to a climax that’s all the more impactful because of it. The musical numbers may not be as extravagant, but there’s no doubting the exceptional singing performances of both women, pulling every ounce of emotion out of every lyric. Jeff Goldblum (the Wizard) and Jonathan Bailey (Fiyero) are certainly still memorable and impactful in their own right, even if Goldblum doesn’t have as much to do. Or at least it feels like he’s a little less involved. Bailey is quite intense and driven in his performance this time around, with his character going through quite an eventful arc and nailing every moment.
In the end, Wicked: For Good isn’t quite the masterpiece its predecessor was, lacking in narrative cohesion and suffering from a choppy, uneven pace. It’s certainly still an enjoyable ride and a good movie at that – there’s incredible performances, a strong, impactful climax, and a couple of good songs sprinkled throughout. It’s full of wholesome energy, heartbreak and all the emotions to keep you engaged, it’s just the fact that it’s so long-winded with the minimal amount of story it has to tell that it touches on being boring at times. Despite fighting a tough uphill battle, Jon M. Chu and the cast have done their best to present a solid climax to part one, and I feel they’ve been successful in that.
7/10
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