Film Review: Wicked: For Good

Musicals are generally big movies; they have big show stopping tunes and set pieces. They also have catchy songs with melodic actors singing away but when it all comes together it creates something special and memorable. The Greatest Showman proved that formula worked wonderfully and last year Wicked took it to new heights and defied box office expectations, as well as defying gravity. Jon M. Chu, who has worked on Crazy Rich Asians and In the Heights, is no stranger to the world of musicals and his experience really shows in the Wicked films. In fact the story for Wicked is so grand and epic he couldn’t tell it in one film and that brings us to the conclusive story of Wicked: For Good.

Wicked: For Good follows the behind-the-scenes story of good friends Elphaba and Glinda, the Wicked Witch of the West and Good Witch. While Dorothy and her companions are off to see the Wonderful Wizard of Oz, these Witches are out to bring justice and peace from Oz from the trickster himself, the Wizard of Oz. What follows involves a story that runs concurrently with the events of the Wizard of Oz but from the perspective of these other characters.

Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo are perfectly cast in their roles as Glinda and Elphaba. Their chemistry exudes off of the screen and you’re taken and whisked away with them as they dance and sing and bring nuance and vulnerability to their characters. Jonathan Bailey is equally charming and brings a lot of heart to the story as well. Michelle Yeoh and Jeff Goldblum are stand-outs as well as the villains of the film and each character has a memorable part where they have their own songs to sing as well.

The music is the highlight of the film. Yes, you have the forgotten tunes from the first film which are littered throughout the film with For Good being the emotional heartstring of the film, hence the subtitle. Then you have some new ones too such as No Place Like Home and The Girl in the Bubble which fit in nicely into the film to bring some warmth and lyrical lilts to life. The stage feels much bigger than before and it acts as the perfect companion piece to the first film as the film begins with an action scene almost directly after the cliffhanger of part one. From then on the film doesn’t stop as the story cascades into a beautiful ballet of music and action.

Wicked: For Good is colourful, vibrant and is basically the perfect musical. Having already been a musical on stage the films manage to bring new life to the story with fantastic visual effects and emotional characters brought to life by a cast that deserve every award for their performances. There is romance, action, comedy, drama and everything in between. Every scene will make you feel some kind of emotion, whether its joy, sadness or fear. There is not a single bad thing to say about the film and it is a worthy entry in the legacy of musicals on screen.

★★★★★

5/5

Final Verdict:

Wicked: For Good is an operatic tour-de-force. It wasn’t going to be easy to bring this story to life but the filmmakers managed to do it. Jon M. Chu was wise splitting the film into two parts and this part cultivates everything that was set up in the first film. Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo are stars in their own right and defy all odds to tell a musical for the ages. Friendship, justice, equality, the themes on display all are tenderly told and brought to life wonderfully and magically. Magic is the best way to sum in the film, there is no other film or musical like this one as Wicked: For Good has set the benchmark extremely high for future musicals on the big screen.

Thanks for reading today’s blog!

Alex Murray, the Head of Eyesight Productions