Fans of the musical Wicked know the emotional power the show has over an audience and Wicked: For Good uses that to its advantage. The conclusion of the musical is powerful, emotional, but also disappointing at times.
Wicked: For Good, like Wicked before it, is Act 2 of the show. Yes, there are new moments and there are two new songs written for the film (one for Elphaba and one for Glinda) but it is very much the second act of the show. Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and Glinda (Ariana Grande) are divided. When the Wizard (Jeff Goldblum) used Elphaba’s power at the end of Wicked, Glinda made her choice: She went with the Wizard and Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh).
So without the heart of these two friends together, a lot of the first act of Wicked: For Good ends up a bit messy and clunky. We don’t have the two together, Glinda and Fiyero’s (Jonathan Bailey) relationship isn’t strong, and everyone is just trying to make up lies about the Wicked Witch. But there isn’t enough to carry that weight. And the song “No Place Like Home” feels too much like Stephen Schwartz trying to reheat his Pippin nachos.
Now, those are the things that I don’t particularly love about Wicked: For Good. There is plenty to love within the film’s runtime, one thing being the best songs in Act 2 (and in my opinion, the best songs in the show).
I’ve heard it said…
Wicked: For Good has the emotional advantage of having “For Good” in the film. It is a song that will always hit for me and I am far from the only one with that opinion. The song is, in a lot of ways, the show’s emotional manipulation. You hear it, think of your own best friends, and the rest is kind of history.
With Jon M. Chu’s take on the film, it is an interesting journey to get to “For Good.” The song still wrecked me but I am wrestling with the question of whether or not this take on it deserved the tears I gave to it. It could very much be that I was overwhelmed and it did warrant me crying but that’s for a second viewing to decide.
But the saving grace of Wicked: For Good are the songs in Act 2 that already work. “No Good Deed” has always been my stand out and the same goes for Erivo’s version of it. Bailey and Erivo’s voice blend together so beautifully on “As Long As You’re Mine” and I have had “I Couldn’t Be Happier” in my head all night. But knowing how successful those moments were, it did make me wonder why we ever strayed from the book of the musical that does work.
The love story remains strong
One of the biggest draws for me with Wicked and, in particular, Wicked: For Good was Fiyero and Elphaba’s love story. And while oddly rushed in For Good, unlike the stage show, it still packed the right kind of punch. “As Long As You’re Mine” is meant to show their deep dedication to one another and it carried a lot of the heavy lifting within their relationship and it made me ignore some of the changes to Fiyero’s story that I wasn’t exactly a fan of.
But this is still Elphie and Glinda’s story. Wicked: For Good reminds us that this friendship is tough, at times impossible, but still worth it for both of these women and while For Good didn’t stand up to my expectations of it, it is still a worthy finale to their story.
Wicked: For Good is in theaters on November 21.
(featured image: Universal Pictures)
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