Review: Wicked: For Good – Goodbye yellow brick road

Directed by Jon M. Chu
Starring Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jeff Goldblum 

7/10

Elphaba’s (Cynthia Erivo) rejection of the wizard (Jeff Goldblum) and theft of the grimoire has had consequences. She now wages a one-witch war against his lies, trying to enlighten the population of Oz and free the animal minority. Meanwhile Glinda (Ariana Grande) consolidates power and influence by acting as an icon for the regime, but the hypocrisy is taking a mental toll on her. As old friends find themselves at cross-purposes, they’re soon going to be dragged into conflict, either on political grounds or in matters of the heart.

Wicked: For Good brings the series to a satisfactory conclusion. Satisfactory, that is, rather than great, and in part that’s due to the heavier themes and subject matter set up in the initial half playing out here. There seems to be a conscious decision to focus more upon the powerful character moments, but that means slightly less of the light and shade that punctuates Wicked.

Hence the runtime of the film seems a little long, and the numbers are far more reliant on the power of the performances rather than the staging. That’s not to say there are no standout pieces. No Good Deed is phenomenal, with Erivo bringing the castle down, but there’s none that reach Defying Gravity‘s crowd-pleasing appeal.

Thankfully those performances are strong. Erivo and Grande continue to play well off each other, with undeniable screen chemistry with their dichotomy. Goldblum is as charming as ever, bringing a likeability to a despicable fraud. The surprise is Ethan Slater, who brings some genuine menace to the role of Boq. The character’s heartless demeanour is brought to the forefront in March of the Witch Hunters, and it’s truly terrifying.

As for those aforementioned dark themes, Wicked: For Good leans into the power of propaganda and the perception of evil. In many ways, it ends up with the power of the symbol being more important than the power of the message, which is a frustrating place to be in, but not entirely an unrealistic one. It also works in that old adage about “the road to hell paved with good intentions.” There’s a depth of complexity that Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel reaches that this film doesn’t, but it still nods to this while keeping its stage musical heritage.

For myself, I’d be very interested to see the duology back to back. Personally I feel that the upbeat sugar rush of the first will get you through the more sombre tones of the second.

Wicked: For Good won’t come down on you like a misplaced Kansas farmhouse, but it still has some sparks of magic.

DAVID O’CONNELL