THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS.
After the shortest gap between a film and its sequel we have seen in about a decade, Jon M. Chu is back to finish off his tragic lesbian romance… wait, what do you mean Elphaba and Glinda are both straight? That can’t be correct, surely? The entire crux of this film relies on them both fighting over a man? Played by gay icon Jonathan Bailey? WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?
Queerbaiting aside, after 2024’s Wicked expanded and adapted the musical’s first act into a spellbinding explosion of great songs and terrible lighting, Wicked: For Good opens 12 clock ticks (whatever that means) after the first part ended. Elphaba is now firmly established as the Wicked Witch of the West, a propaganda campaign spearheaded by the Wizard and his press secretary Madame Morrible, and upheld by Glinda to maintain her perfect life in the Emerald City. She is quickly engaged to Fiyero, now captain of the “Gale Force”, but he also wants to find Elphaba so he can protect her (typical man). Meanwhile, Elphaba is living in an eco-goth hovel, somehow still managing to source fierce outfits, microbraids and extravagant nails despite being public enemy no. 1, and performing acts of vandalism on the in-construction yellow brick road. If there is a more apt metaphor for the state of the world, show me it now: the children yearn to make fashion statements whilst taking down the fascist government.
Throughout the film we see what Elphaba was up to whilst everything in The Wizard of Oz was going down. But we quickly get to one of the first issue: the gap between Act I & II is more of a gulch (see what I did there?) The expanded runtime from the musical’s insanely brief hour dedicated to this expansive story is appreciated, but there is little done to show what went down between the two films. Sure, Nessa has taken over her late father’s position and is treating Boq as her prisoner/servant – but why exactly? Last we saw they seemed to be in a happy (albeit one-sided) relationship, and the change from hopeful young woman to bitter governor is unfortunately lost. The film speeds through her storyline and before you know it, Boq has body-horrored into the Tin Man, and Dorothy has plucked the shoes from Nessa’s corpse and is off to meet the Wizard. Similarly underdeveloped is the relationship between Glinda and Fiyero, who really did just seem to get together five seconds after meeting in Wicked. Elphaba is almost taken in by the Wiz’s rizz, until she discovers the animals still in cages and lets them loose on Glinda & Fiyero’s wedding. Fiyero then ditches Glinda for the green queen he always wanted and absconds to have PG-rated sex in a tree and show off his hairy chest.
But all is not happy for long, which is a running theme in this film, as Nessa’s death via Dorothy’s house leads Elphaba into the hands of the guards, who promptly beat Fiyero to death. Distraught, Elphaba ELEKA NAHMEN NAHMEN AH TUM AH TUM ELEKA NAHMEN’s all over the place and saves his life whilst delivering a rock banger in the gothest castle this side of Frankenstein. And soon enough it is time for the inevitable conclusion, as Elphaba meets her worst enemy yet – a bucket of water. But first, she must see Glinda one last time so they can finally fulfil the deep sexual yearning they have always had… wait, what do you mean they don’t have sex? Okay, do they kiss? No? But they do at least say they love each other, tearfully sing a song with no heterosexual explanation and then literally recreate the most devastating shot from the Doctor Who episode ‘Doomsday’ before parting forever. Cue Glinda’s slay era as she uncovers the Wizard’s true identity – ironically he was Elphaba’s father all along, a twist you could never see coming unless you recognised Jeff Goldblum’s extremely distinctive voice in the opening number of the first film. She forces him out of Oz and arrests Madame Morrible, finally accepting her role as Glinda the Good. Meanwhile, Fiyero travels to the castle and pulls Elphaba out of a trap door, because who was stupid enough to believe water will melt her? He is revealed to be the Scarecrow, Elphaba lies to him that he is still sexy, and they depart with the knowledge that in order to fulfil her destiny and keep Oz united, Glinda can never know they are still alive.
BULLSHIT! You had the chance to wokify this musical and let Glinda and Elphaba have the relationship they always deserved. But I guess homophobia won today. Though narratively it may be crucial to split the doomed lovers apart, who in their right mind cared about Elphaba & Fiyero’s relationship over Gelphie? Even with an additional 2 hours on the runtime, their chemistry is entirely told rather than shown. Perhaps if Fiyero was revealed to be an outcast himself, living in the shadow of older brothers and the weight of expectation, you might understand why Elphaba is so drawn to his (admittedly very sexy) airheaded persona. Whereas Cynthia and Ariana have looked and acted like a married couple for the last 2 years, both onscreen and in the press tours. But there is still time to put this right, if they choose to announce their marriage on stage at the 2026 Oscars. The universe must be balanced!
Overall, no-one can fault the sheer audacity and ambition of the Wicked films. To take such a beloved story and give it the big-screen treatment is a daunting task, and whilst it was far from perfect, I can’t say I didn’t have a great time. It would definitely be recommended to see both films in conjunction, softening some of the glaring Act II issues. But regardless, by the time Glinda and Elphaba tearfully part, it wouldn’t be surprising to find tears filling your own eyes.
It seemed Hollywood was finally embracing musicals again in the mid-2010s, with La La Land and The Greatest Showman (even if the latter is a steaming pile of shit), but the 2020s seem to have gone in the other direction. It’s never been a harder time to be a Hollywood musical, since usually studios seem embarrassed to even be making them. Mean Girls, The Color Purple, Wonka and more were not even advertised as musicals. So the fact that Wicked has been so embraced – by the fans, by the industry, by the awards bodies – is a great step. Wicked & Wicked: For Good may not be on the same level as West Side Story or The Sound of Music, but the passion behind it is somewhat unprecedented. Now let’s get all the Wicked fans out to see The Testament of Ann Lee, before Hollywood decides musicals are a bad investment again. That would be truly wicked.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ (slay enough)
Director: Jon M. Chu
Cast: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
Country: United States
Runtime: 137m
Certificate: 15
Image: Universal Pictures