Wicked for Good Has Us Under Its Spell

Director: John M. Chu

Actors: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, Marissa Bode, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Bowen Yang, Bronwyn James

MPAA Rating: PG

Studio: Universal Pictures

Writer: Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox

Genre: Musical

Wicked: For Good follows along with the second act of the Broadway musical. In this continuation of the story, we see the characters evolve past their roles in Shiz. Some stay true to who they were, such as Elphaba, but others, such as Glinda, have their story arc expanded on.

The vocals are always fantastic. Personal favorites of the second act are “As Long as You’re Mine”, “No Good Deed”, and “For Good”.

Marissa Bode and Ethan Slater are beyond talented. They both had characters who ended up resenting Elphaba, and they made me, as a viewer, feel scared of who they had become. This was captured so fiercely in the scene for March of the Witch Hunters.

Along with Ethan Slater’s scene, the third highlight I’d like to mention is the makeup and graphics. This movie, again, did such a great job of submerging the viewer into the world of Oz. The makeup was stellar, and it made Slater’s Tin Man feel that much scarier.

I completely understand the reasoning behind making these into two separate films, but I think it would’ve been awesome to have either a double feature or one long film. The second act really connects everything in the story, and it’s fun seeing how it overlaps with the story of The Wizard of Oz.

I wasn’t the biggest fan of the slapping that occurred between two characters. I believe the same level of anger could have been displayed differently. I understand why they went with it, but it isn’t reading as classy to me this day in age. Instead, it would’ve been better to see some of the sparring with staffs as an homage to when they were in Shiz, specifically the scene in “What is This Feeling?”

Overall Review:

Rating: 10 / 10 Stars

Admittedly, I was not aware of the whole Oz universe before watching Wicked, but I quickly became obsessed with it after the film came out last year. Since then I have seen the Broadway versions and listened to that particular soundtrack in preparation for the second act to come out. I was very much looking forward to this film, and it did not disappoint. I will be watching this at least two more times in the cinema, especially if I can find one that will do a double feature.