When it was announced over a decade ago that the smash Broadway hit “Wicked” would get a big screen adaptation, the rabid fanbase of the long-running show was understandably excited. There were many other things too, and not all of them kind, which is why I know I am entering into this critical response to the second “Wicked” film at my own peril. “Wicked,” as a cultural touchstone, is not an easy thing to have unauthorized opinions about. So, I will try to tread very lightly.
Even some of the most ardent music theater aficionados agree that the live Broadway version of “Wicked” has a second-act problem. It’s as much a music problem as anything else. All the best songs are in the first act, including the one (“Defying Gravity”) that carries the entire emotional weight of the story. So, the decision to split the cinematic adaptation into two parts was always going to put the second section at a distinct disadvantage, no matter how much genuine effort went into mitigation. Part of that effort was, of course, padding. Act I of the show is about 90 minutes and Act II is 60. So, to stretch that material into a pair of 2.5-hour movies requires some dramatic expansion. But, hey, more of a good thing is a good thing, right? It can be, but the fact is that when you stretch something, you make it thinner, and “Wicked: For Good” suffers for it. Much of the film has an indulgent and overstuffed director’s cut quality to it, as if the editors lost every battle during post-production. Elphaba’s efforts to expose the Wizard while remaining true to herself deserved a tighter script with a lot less static, expository filler.
I imagine the filmmakers wanted to add richness to the central conflicts of the plot while giving us more time to invest in the supposedly diverging interests of Elphaba and Glinda. I understand the impulse. With the songs of Part II generally lacking emotional impact and effectiveness compared to those of Part I, it must have seemed critical that our understanding of their evolution as friends be made more explicit by guiding us through it by hand. The creators might have been right to worry about such matters, but simply making certain plotlines longer wasn’t the move. Especially when some of the most important connections, like the one between Fiyero and Elphaba, are so rushed. Now, before anyone calls the Broadway cops on me, please allow me to admit that I still had fun with “Wicked: For Good.” The world of Oz is stunning to the eye, and the performances of the leads are very good. Cynthia Erivo continues to absolutely own the impossible role of Elphaba and Ariana Grande has more than proven she was the right choice for the cinematic Glinda. They sound amazing together and they have genuine chemistry as conflicted friends faced with life-altering choices. What Part II lacks in song quality, it does at least partially make up for with a moral message that is more complex, and ultimately more intellectually satisfying, than anything we were asked to contemplate in Part I.
Like horror, musicals are not a genre for which I feel a lot of loyalty. But I did approach these “Wicked” films with an open mind and, for the most part, I feel rewarded for it. I understand why these characters and these songs (the best ones from the first movie) are so beloved. Diehard fans of the Broadway show will probably find a lot to discuss in “Wicked: For Good,” and they will certainly bring a ton more subject literacy to the experience than I did. As cinema though, something I do feel confident weighing in on, this title proves that there truly can be too much of a good thing.
