After being invited to watch “Wicked: For Good” in theaters with a group of friends, I watched the first part that I have been somewhat avoiding for the past year the night before. This review isn’t about the first movie, but I feel it gives some good context into what is going on and I definitely recommend watching it if you plan on seeing the new one.
The first movie ends with Elphaba (aka the Wicked Witch) flying away from the flying monkeys as the Wizard tries to hunt her down for not being willing to join his team. Part two follows Glinda and Elphaba as they struggle with their identities as being either good or wicked. The story shows kind of the behind the scenes of the original “Wizard of Oz” plot which I found very interesting. We get backstories on the origins of Dorothy’s companions, the Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion, and the scarecrow. Going into this I thought it was supposed to be just a backstory of how the WIcked Witch turned evil but I was pleasantly surprised. There were plenty of plot twists that I should’ve seen coming on where the original characters came from and how they developed into the characters seen in the “Wizard of Oz.”
Speaking of the characters, I have a few complaints. For one, the charmingness of the costumes and the effects in the “Wizard of Oz” cannot be replaced by CGI. For me, the Cowardly Lion looked especially off compared to the rest of the characters. I much preferred when he was a real person dressed up as a lion. It just brought the whimsy that draws so many people into the original. I also didn’t quite appreciate the characterization of the Tin Man in “Wicked: For Good” in the small scenes he gets in the film, he is portrayed as very angry and aggressive. Which I suppose makes sense considering he doesn’t have a heart but I take that more as he is unable to feel emotion, not that he is full of hate.
The music in the film was also very impressive. The voices of Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo can’t be beat and I thought they did a splendid job in all of their numbers. Each song added to the story and got stuck in my head for days.
I am well aware of the fact that many people who have seen the musical on stage argue that it is much better than the movie adaptation. I am sure that that is very true, but coming from someone who hasn’t seen the stage production, I thought the two movies were very well put together and I would honestly watch them again, which I wouldn’t say about most new movies.
