Directed By Jon M. Chu

Starring – Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jeff Goldblum

The Plot – After challenging the Wizard’s totalitarian regime in Oz, Elphaba (Erivo) must grapple with her identity as the “Wicked Witch of the West”. Meanwhile, the Wizard (Goldblum) has given Glinda (Grande) the title “Glinda the Good” and a public status as the nation’s defender against Elphaba. The two witches must make decisions that seal their fates in this second musical installment.

Rated PG for action/violence, some suggestive material and thematic material.

Wicked: For Good | Official Trailer

POSITIVES

Typically, when a property is divided to make multiple installments to fit the needs of a franchise, it usually results in at least one of the films dwindling in quality, but “Wicked: For Good” is triumphantly the glaring exception to the rule, enriching audiences with its distinct brand of uplifting magic that has truly cemented an altering path for the future of musical cinema. While the breathtakingly ambitious aspects are elicited by hundreds of individuals in the production towards vividly bringing Oz to life, before our very eyes, the irreplaceable presence among them is certainly Chu, whose punchy personality, colorfully radiant presentation, and endless imagination helps to bring the Emerald City to life in ways that could only be dreamed previously from the pages of L. Frank Baum’s collection of novels, satisfying hardcore fanatics with an effervescent display of pageantry that immediately hooks you back into this world in the 365 days that have come and went since it initially enchanted audiences. Everything from the detailed versatility of the costume design, to the boldly daring practicality of the set decoration, to especially Alice Brooks’ colorfully radiant cinematography, truly adds to this infectious element of other-worldly escapism that flourishes seamlessly from a land where anything feels possible, giving it every bit a lived-in feel with the depth of believability, but also these fantastically animated musical sequences, which this time cater to more of the power ballads, in order to zero in on the darker side thematically, which dominates this particular installment. As expected, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande vocally bend the limitations of human performer’s capability, continuously conjuring tangible goosebumps on the arms of the audience, as a result of their octave levitating, throughout tracks that are every bit lyrically as introspectively complex as they are instrumentally an empowering entrancement over emotion-heavy motivation, and while I feel that the first film’s soundtrack certainly featured more addictive song choices that you could easily find on any pop music station in America, the ones executed here tap into a far more cerebral psychology that takes these characters to dark and challenging places that I never truly expected, even in a franchise all about deviating on preconceived expectations, working hand in hand with Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox’s roller-coaster of a screenplay that combines urgency and inevitability to the resolution of so many inter-woven conflicts put on hold, merely 12 months prior. It’s unfair to assess that the duo had a far easier time guiding along the storytelling than that of the original movie, being that this is essentially all pay-offs to that film’s all set-ups, however they have the daunting task of not only converging this story with an iconic film more than eighty years its junior, but also zeroing in the importance of the friendship of Elphaba and Glinda, at the series heartfelt center, which gives the movie the kind of free-range emotionality that balanced tone a lot better than its predecessor. Selfishly, it’s a lot of fun to watch these two go at each other’s throats, especially as both of their motivations are easily accessible in the justification of the audience, helping to speak volumes about two characters who fall into that rare shade of grey, morally, instead of being judged by elements of good and bad, as the movie so frequently conveys in the perils of propaganda, but it’s those tender moments of honesty between these ladies that helps inscribe a therapeutic completion to what’s missing in each of their lives, offering the single most indulging moments of the entire film, on account of two powerful women for entirely different reasons, coming together to make something universally healing to the ailments of the wants and needs that each of them deservedly demand so empathetically, without anything similar to the animated theatrics of previous musical actors, who often drive me crazy with their heavy artificialities. That feels like a great time to transition to the dissection of the performances, as everyone returns to add so much pungent personality and tenacity to so many commanding characters, but it’s ultimately Erivo and Grande who once again captivate so much connective chemistry in the depths of these characters, featuring these subtle nuances in the internalized responses of their characters, making them feel lived-in with the kind of consistency to psychology that they lend to their portrayals. Live her previous efforts, Erivo juggles the fiery intensity of Elphaba’s disdain for Oz’s oppressive prejudice and corruption of power with the vulnerability of her own eternal longing, helping to add redeemable layers to a generation’s old antagonist whom we have unfairly judged as much as the townsfolk of Oz, and while she’s obviously a generational talent with regards to her Earth-shaking range as a musical performer, I feel that her acting here is just as important and prominent in conveying the heart of humanity that persists in Elphaba’s demeanor, solidifying a gifted dramatic actress who clearly sees a lot of herself in a character who is unfairly judged by the color of her skin. As for Grande, she maintains the chipper peppiness and impeccable comedic timing of the original movie with an underlining edginess, this time around, that speaks volumes to Glinda’s insecurities as the Oz-honored purveyor of privilege, featuring limitless streams of tears on demand, and weaponized earnestness that undoubtedly makes her a force to be reckoned with, even while absorbing the heavy responsibility of being the perception of power that drives the kingdom’s morale.

NEGATIVES

While “Wicked: For Good” is an obvious improvement on an original movie that I was lukewarm about, it isn’t without flaws, particularly in the production of its musical numbers, which once again feel far too polished and over-produced towards intruding on the clarity of the performances. Considering that I watched this movie in a state-of-the-art theater, featuring impeccable sound equipment, I found it odd that I failed to coherently register the lyrics of so many of the songs, Particularly during the opening act, on account of the sound mixing of instrumentals far outweighing the influence of the vocals of the singers, and while it eventually clears up once Erivo and Grande duke it out in a showcase for octave supremacy, it was more of the personality-driven numbers within the re-establishing of the storytelling that I found difficult to faithfully attach myself towards, on account of volume levels for the instrumentals that completely smother those at the forefront of the sequence, leaving me curious to see if the problem fixes itself on a CD or download stream of the soundtrack. Likewise, while the movie takes ample opportunity of its ambitious 132-minute runtime, the sequencing of events, particularly during the third act climax, occasionally felt a bit too rushed and abrupt in the motivations of the characters from scene to scene, undercutting the emotional tangibility of certain moments that definitely deserved time to build towards, instead of feeling condensed by moments prior and afterwards that felt a bit tediously exhausting to the interpretation. This is where those subdued and nuanced moments away from gigantic movements in the story certainly help to ground the events to more of a traditional speed of consistent storytelling, and though my problem isn’t necessarily with the pacing, as I never felt bored or even challenged by the extent of the runtime, I ultimately feel like the ambitiousness of the third act’s attempt to stack on so many pivotally climatic moments, especially during an ending that could’ve stood as the final shot as many as five different times, does take away some of the momentum leading up to its final thirty minutes, resulting in a bit of draining energy from the lack of time given to me to register such stakes and consequences. Lastly, though not a problem that I took a lot of points away from my finished grade for, the movie’s decision to go out of its way to conceal Dorothy from “The Wizard of Oz” felt a bit distracting and disappointing, especially in the inability to experience the character from Elphaba’s newfound perspective. While I understand that this is a choice to signify that this is in fact Elphaba’s story, and not Dorothy’s, I wish that even a single scene could’ve been dedicated towards fleshing out a darker and more desperate side to the girl from Kansas, in order to return to her real world, but sadly she only appears from behind or far atop in perspective framing, and the result steals too much focus away from the integrity of the scene, to merely cater to a framing choice that has already been firmly established throughout two films.

OVERALL
“Wicked: For Good” is another colorfully-coated and magically enchanted engagement to the land of Jon M. Chu’s Oz, featuring intoxicating production values and emotionally penetrating performances that appraise a rousing concerto to the expectations of literary audiences who have seen their imaginations and expectations brought to life seamlessly from the pages of a once perceived unadaptable novel. Despite occasional flaws that distract without entirely detracting, the film is the right kind of uplifting and empowering escapism about the consequences of the choices we make, and one that will hopefully change the world for good, as a result of experiencing it.

My Grade: 8.3 or B+