By Sophia Noya | Staff Writer
Nobody in all of Oz (including me!) is missing out on Wicked: For Good, which has enjoyed an enormous opening week and overall positive reviews.
As a Broadway fan who, like everybody else, walked out of watching Wicked feeling like I had just witnessed Cynthia Erivo invent electricity, I’ve been very excited for this movie for a long time.
Let us rejoicify– it’s here, and it’s not just good— It was amazing.
The movie starts where the first part left off, with Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) fighting the Wizard’s influence over Oz as Glinda (Ariana Grande) plays politics and tries to convince herself she’s happy to do so.
This should be news to no one, but the soundtrack is truly sublime.
Cynthia Erivo is an otherworldly talent. Her singing is electrifying, enough to give you goosebumps and make you sit up straight in your seat. Her version of “No Good Deed” was just unbelievable, even better than the original Broadway recording.
Ariana Grande is right there with her, giving her all to both her songs and her acting. Her performance was the one that impressed me most of all, with expertly wielded microexpressions that tied together the complex character of Glinda the Good perfectly.
The production design is mind-bogglingly excellent, with no details spared. Oz felt tangible, like you could just get out of your seat and walk into it. I deeply admired every building, room, flyer and shop front– it’s enough to expect a second win in the Production Design category at the Oscars.
I did notice that For Good is missing the same steady rhythm that Wicked had. The first film seemed limitless in its energy and ability to bounce from one scene to another.
But it’s unfair to compare the two, despite being halves of a whole.
The difference in tone and pace is not a weakness; it’s a necessity. The character’s youthful naivety comes to a sudden end, with a forceful shove into gilded cages by cruel circumstances and a conniving regime. Led by a guy from Omaha, of all places.
Some details about the story proved to be confusing. I’ll try to be as spoiler-free as possible, but some of my questions are: what exactly is outside of Oz? What happens when you leave Oz? What is the timeline of this movie? Did a certain Scarecrow and a certain Tin Man pretend not to recognize each other? Was that awkward for them?
But it also has to be acknowledged that Act 2 of the Wicked musical is filled with plot holes to begin with, and director Jon Chu found himself between a rock (remaining faithful to the source material to avoid the wrath of theater fans) and a hard place (making changes to the source material to avoid the wrath of theater fans).
I only have one real grievance. I find this very sad to have to say, but Michelle Yeoh’s performance was frankly a disappointment.
Such a fantastic actress that she normally is, I’m not sure why she decided to play Madame Morrible as low-effort and as blank as possible. Her performance lacked the sinister energy the character needed, and her subduedness even threatened to ruin some scenes.
But overall, Wicked: For Good is an extraordinary success. It’s equal parts devastating and heart-warming,
Finally, I’d like to make a special shout-out to the girl who sat next to me in the theater and cried until the credits rolled. I think that sums the movie up pretty well.
8/10
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