“Wicked: For Good,” the long-awaited sequel to “Wicked” (2024), demonstrates a spectacular progression of Oz’s complex society. From an interesting development of character relationships and abundance of plot twists to the life-like sets and costume designs, the movie successfully engages the audience.
While its runtime of 2 hours and 45 minutes may test some people’s patience, and the soundtrack may not be as captivating as the first film’s, the movie’s clear connection to “The Wizard of Oz” ties up loose ends well and makes for a compelling watch.
Under the direction of Palo Alto native Jon M. Chu and with casting by Bernard Telsey and Tiffany Canfield, the film’s cast is notably diverse. Starring Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Michelle Yeoh, Jonathan Bailey and Marissa Bode, who represent the LGBTQ+ community, people with disabilities and people of color, the film highlights Hollywood’s positive shift toward more inclusive casting.
The movie continues the journey of Elphaba Thropp and Glinda Upland, as Elphaba works — often alone — towards a “better” Oz, while Glinda grapples with her own role in its power structure. The film explores nuance and complexity in its characters, and what it means to be “good” versus “bad” in society. Each choice Elphaba and Glinda make is understandable, adding depth to their fractured yet alive friendship.
At the same time, the film touches on popular culture references and issues, including disabilities, animal rights, natural disasters, justice, misinformation, substance abuse, dictatorships and complex relationships. Its relevance to our world creates a deeper connection for the audience and engages them to find meaning in the film.
In the breathtaking world of Oz, Shiz University stands out as a pinnacle of production design with a vibrant color palette and intricate detail, creating an immersive experience. Costume designer Paul Tazewell complements this with outfits that symbolize each character’s journey and progression from the initial film.
For example, Elphaba’s cape features a tree-bark pattern as a reflection of her new forest home since leaving Shiz, while Glinda’s new iridescent bubble dress is colored the same as her new means of transportation: her bubble. The attention to detail and subtlety enhances the storytelling and beauty of the movie.
In addition, the characters’ relationships allow the film to dive into the complexities of human nature. Elphaba and Glinda’s friendship is tested by separation, jealousy and weariness, yet their underlying love grounds their dynamic in reality.
Both characters’ relationships with Prince Fiyero add another layer of tension, as he struggles to choose a girlfriend that fits him, simultaneously causing jealousy: classic popular-dude drama. Yet, he eventually proves his good intent despite his own difficulties.
Meanwhile, Nessarose Thropp has similarly complex dynamics with her half-sister Elphaba. Their relationship is in constant strain due to jealousy, loyalty and the idea of sisterhood protection. This ultimately turns into a cycle of hurt and unintended consequences.
Another clear relationship is between The Wizard, Elphaba and Glinda. While in the beginning of the film, they are greatly intimidated and submissive, throughout the course of the movie, they begin to learn to resist and fight for what is right. This transition marks a turning point as Elphaba and Glinda began to take things into their own hands to improve Oz.
The plot also includes several twists that recontextualize familiar “The Wizard of Oz” characters, delivering powerful ‘Aha!’ moments for anyone familiar with the original “The Wizard of Oz” film, making the films feel more connected and complete.
While some critics have questioned the length and decision to split the movie into two parts, we thought this approach was beneficial in order to include all nuanced elements and see the transforming character dynamics over time.
And while the production design of individual locations were stunning, the spatial relationship between each setting — Emerald City, Shiz University, Munchkinland and Kansas — was unclear, and the locations seemed disconnected from one another, which made the movie at times hard to follow, especially when referencing several different locations in short time frames.
On top of that, the virality of the songs from the first movie created a wave of pop culture dominance that seems absent in the second movie. The final song of “For Good” was a spectacular duo between Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, but there wasn’t the same abundance of catchy, musically-supreme songs that played one after another like in the first movie, making this film somewhat less engaging.
Regardless, the performance of the two leads is spectacular. Erivo brings a substantial amount of emotional depth and vocal power to Elphaba and her songs, making her conflict believable, while Grande’ commitment to being Glinda (with the eyebrow gymnastics being its own subplot) sells the role as a character with both charm, grace and vulnerability. Their chemistry both on and off screen is undeniable, and when they sing together, their voices blend into a beautiful harmony that only enhances the film.
We highly recommend watching “Wicked: For Good” because of its relevance to many audiences and the various ways to relate to it. The characters and their relationship developments were uniquely relatable and realistically deep, the set and costume design was immersive and entertaining and the complex but unified plot was successfully engaging. So follow the yellow brick road straight to your nearest theater, because this is one Oz-some flick you won’t want to miss.