Wicked: For Good

Grade: B-

It’s obviously been a while since my one and only live viewing of Wicked the musical – almost 20 years since I attended a national tour performance. I was reminded of this because of the genuine surprise I felt at all the plot’s twists and turns. 2024’s Wicked film devoted its 2 hours and 40 minutes to Act One of the stage show. After a year-long intermission, we knew Wicked: For Good was coming, to close us out with Act Two.

Before it was a Broadway musical, Wicked began as a book, which served as a prequel or fan fiction of sorts. It colored in the backstories of the Wizard, Glinda, Elphaba (who later became known as the wicked witch of the west), and even her sister, who the house fell on. Wicked: For Good takes it a step further, and pulls a Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. Dorothy’s plot line is incorporated, but it’s given the background cameo treatment. We get to see someone’s interpretation of what might have been going on elsewhere, in the midst of the events from the classic story we’ve known and loved for almost 100 years.

The opening scene is extremely boring. It begins with Glinda getting ready to marry Fiyero – but first, she has to sing a song and do some speechification. It’s like swimming through pudding – but once we get past that, I was pleased by how quickly the rest of it goes by. If you don’t know the story, or it’s been a while (say, almost 20 years), I think you’ll be delightfully taken aback at the narrative directions it goes. For that reason, I will be circumspect with some plot points. All the best songs in the show are front-loaded into Act One – the first movie. “For Good,” the tearful duet near the end of this one, is sweet. However, the song that went over the best for me was “As Long As You’re Mine” – a duet between two characters that I won’t reveal.

I vehemently try to avoid saying something is relevant for the times. That expression is overused. If you mentally squint and stretch hard enough, you could say that about anything. Someone could come up with ways that Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie comes at an appropriate time for the political climate. However, with Wicked: For Good, it was impossible not to think about parallels. Elphaba is speaking out against a leader that she feels is being deceitful, and, given some scandals with past and current ones, what happens with the Wizard at the end – and why – definitely hit me a certain way.

The revelations I’d forgotten about keep on coming, right up to the conclusion. I loved a flying shot near the end, that looks like a classic final shot of a film. It gets interrupted when Glinda, who has more to say, says “Wait!” – and then it stops and backs up to where the action was. I love musical theatre, but if you’re adverse to it and care more about the story, Wicked: For Good might be more your speed. I don’t know what would have earned this a higher grade from me; there’s no hard and fast formula for what are my highest rated movies. This is a fine send-off. Most of it doesn’t feel like 2 hours and 17 minutes. As Act One has the strongest music, last year’s film was more about spectacle and great numbers, with this one being more about plot.

Grade: B-