“Because they need someone to be wicked — so you can be good.”
I’d say this is one of those times when dividing the project into two parts did more harm than good. No one can discount the impact of the first film, where Cynthia Ervio and Ariana Grande gave us phenomenal and complimentary duets, as well as excellent acting performances. Also, no one can discount the impact of the musical that has dominated the theater for more than twenty years. However, I’d say the good thing about the theater version is that you get all of that at once. In the case of this film and its predecessor, the films are divided into acts, and in my humble opinion, Act 1 is the stronger of the acts, which is also the case with the two films. Wicked set a very high bar by empowering Ervio’s character to stand up for injustice and against Jeff Goldblum as the fraudulent Wizard of Oz. Also, there is certainly a difference in songs. Specifically, in Wicked For Good, there isn’t a song to match the dominance of Defying Gravity.
For Good had some emotional resonance, but for me, it did not come close to matching the heights that Defying Gravity reached. Of the musical numbers, I’d argue that For Good isn’t even the song that comes the closest. To me, the song that came the closest was No Good Deed, but it still wasn’t close enough.
-“You’re the only friend I’ve ever had.”
-“And I’ve had so many friends … but only one that mattered.”
Despite lacking a matching musical number, Ervio and Grande still breathe life into the film with their musical mastery and chemistry. The pair’s onscreen friendship closely mirrors their offscreen one, as they appear to be very close, with Ervio even acting in a big-sister/protector role during a red-carpet event. And because of this close dynamic between Ervio and Grande, the film reaps the benefits of this in the relationship of Elphaba and Glinda.
I should also preface this by saying that based on my research, this adaptation followed the musical’s blueprint down to a tee, as it should have. And it is my understanding that in the case of the musical, fans have spoken to preferring Act 1 over Act 2, which is a bit of self-fulfilling prophecy when it comes to the film adaptations. The film starts off full of hope, as Elpahaba wages her one-woman war against the Wizard, attempting to expose him as a fraud. With every failed attempt, as well as the continued propaganda by Madame Morrible, turning the citizens of Oz against her, we see her turn towards wickedness. This was intriguing, but I wished it would have been focused on more. I would have liked to see more of the emotional impact on the character, as she came to realize that her efforts, despite being noble, were ultimately futile. I would have loved to see what Ervio could have done with that kind of opportunity. Something tells me that the soon-to-be EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony award winner) actress could have done with that character arc. And, yes, I am claiming EGOT status for Ervio to manifest this for her, as she is merely an Oscar away from this accomplishment. And I have no doubt that she deserves and will eventually achieve this.
The latter half of the film is dedicated to setting up the plot of Dorothy Gale’s Wizard of Oz storyline, and while this is in keeping with the plot of the musical, I felt this took away from what had been the film’s central focus. This resulted in a choppy shift of the story that I wasn’t interested in covering. As I said, I would have much rather have seen more emphasis on the emotional toll on Elpahaba. I understand that this shift was necessary to set the film’s ultimate conclusion, but it did very little for me.
The film does deviate in some areas, such as film keeping animal rights as a focal point for the film, whereas in the musical, this aspect is not focused on after “Wonderful”. Also, there was a significant revision involving Marisa Bode’s Nessarose. Bode, who uses a wheelchair in real life, reportedly revealed that her character’s storyline was revised to prevent implications of ableism, most notably by having Nessarose gain the ability to fly instead of walking upright after her shoes are enchanted by Elphaba.
In summation, while Wicked For Good is enjoyable and faithful to its source material, it pales in comparison to its predecessor. Fans of the musical will likely enjoy it, but those new to the franchise are most likely to draw the same conclusions that I did. Despite this, I have no doubt that this will be the box office winner this weekend, as well as the following holiday weekend.
