Sequels have a reputation for being lackluster money grabs. When I walked into the theater to watch the second part of “Wicked”, I assumed it would be a cheap production with little to no significance. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the movie, with a few notable exceptions. While there were some parts that dragged the movie down, it was a decent experience overall.
This article contains spoilers for “Wicked: For Good.”
I’m not usually one to enjoy musicals. “Hamilton” was pretty good, and the original “Wicked” was my best experience with musicals. In that regard, “Wicked: For Good” exceeded my expectations. Each song sounded and looked amazing, and none of the songs felt like they were filler scenes.
The writing, on the other hand, was dull. Half of the movie felt like it was rushing itself, while the other half was so slow that I was practically falling asleep. Many scenes had a tendency not to make any sense, as if they were forced in to advance the plot, as opposed to naturally progressing the story.
At one point, Fiyero is left behind by Elphaba for seemingly no reason at all, even when he could have easily taken her with him. It’s moments like this that make the story feel unfulfilling and empty. It felt as if the producers or writers had a story in mind, but it didn’t work, so they just tried to fill in the holes at the last minute, ultimately bringing down the production quality of the film.
Professional critics generally regard “Wicked: For Good” as lower quality than “Wicked”. Ratings on Rotten Tomatoes, from professional movie critics, dropped from 88% to 68%. Most critics believed that the second part’s extreme length was forced and directionless, with the only saving grace being the two main leads – Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo.
Still, as someone who never read the books, I enjoyed the way that the story tied into “The Wizard of Oz.” So many moments felt like they were perfectly coordinated with the original story. They also filled in and further explained a lot of the plot holes from “The Wizard of Oz,” like why Elphaba was able to be killed by a bucket of water, or why there was a bucket of water so close to her in the first place.
But the ending felt like it spoiled the entire movie. The story was about sacrifice and the things we do for others, but by allowing Elphaba to live, the writers took away from the overall message. So much more could have been said if Elphaba had been allowed to die.
The movie is very enjoyable, but the reason it shines is the stars and the production budget. The story itself doesn’t come close to living up to the first part.
