Elphaba, the future Wicked Witch of the West and her relationship with Glinda, the Good Witch of the North. The second of a two-part feature film adaptation of the Broadway musical.
Chuck says:
While I know this will seem like heresy to its millions of fans, I found “Wicked: For Good,” much like its predecessor, to be a frustrating experience. Taking the two hour and forty-five-minute play and rendering it as a two-film, nearly five-hour cinematic event may ensure big box office for Universal Pictures, but in the end, it proves to be an artistic blunder. Just as part one was building a head of steam, things came to an inopportune halt. Unfortunately, “For Good” never manages to rekindle the story’s urgency, director Jon M. Chu’s one-step-forward-two-steps back approach preventing the film from getting its hooks in you. It’s on solid ground whenever it examines the political machinations of Oz and its corrupt “wizard,” yet stumbles whenever any of its 12 forgettable songs are warbled.
Things get off to an abrupt start as we see Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) rescue some mistreated yak being used to build the Wizard’s (Jeff Goldblum) Yellow Brick Road. Seems she has taken it upon herself to stand up for the downtrodden – animals and munchkins – while attempting to expose the corrupt nature of Oz’s government. Meanwhile, her former bestie Glinda (Ariana Grande) is content to be used as a tool to keep the masses in check. Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh) reminds her of her duty to be pleasant to the peasants as she dispenses the Wizard’s propaganda, outfitting her with a magic flying bubble to deliver her message far and wide.
Meanwhile – and there are a lot of “meanwhiles” to contend with –Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey) has been charged with apprehending Elphaba, Boq (Ethan Slater) is trying to navigate his personal and professional responsibilities with Nessarose (Marissa Bode), the leader of Munchinkinland and Elphaba’s sister, while a mass exodus of abused animals is underway. Oh, and lest I forget, the arrival of a plaid-clad outsider for Kansas provides the Wizard with another tool to turn the tide against the green-skinned witch.
There are a lot of balls in the air here, and I haven’t even mentioned the two heroine’s fraught relationship, Glinda’s efforts to marry Fiyero or Elphaba’s attempts to stoke a rebellion. It’s all too much and none of it feels fully developed or satisfying. Due to the competing storylines, the film has a choppy and, at times, disjointed nature to it that makes it hard to invest in.
That being said, it’s second act is quite good, providing some unexpected twists and taking time to effectively drive home its point regarding political corruption. Goldblum’s wry rendering of “Wonderful,” in which he sings about how easy it is to dupe a desperate populace, is done with a kind of mirth missing from the rest of the film. That this song is a commentary of our own contemporary politics will be missed by no one. Equally intriguing are the explanations of how the Tin Man, Scarecrow and Cowardly Lion came to be, as well as the origin of the Ruby Red Slippers and their importance to Elphaba. Clever stuff, all of this, yet once these elements are introduced, they’re left to wither on the vine.
Perhaps most frustrating are the brief glimpses of Dorothy and her three cohorts. Their appearances happen quickly and almost in passing, Chu and writers Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox relying on the fact we know their backstory and leaving it at that. However, this is a far from satisfying approach, as we long to see a new take on these characters and see them interact with Elphaba and the rest, to provied a new slant on the well-known events from the 1939 classic film.
As it stumbled through its last 20 minutes, I kept wondering when it would all be over for good. Three logical stopping points occur and yet, still it went on, finally concluding with a revelation that fails to make narrative sense but provides a semi-feelgood ending for the audience. In the end, “Wicked: For Good” is a bit of a mess, failing to capitalize on the momentum of the first entry, its over-busy, choppy structure preventing this viewer from becoming emotionally engaged.
2 Stars
