“Wicked: For Good,” which was released just before Thanksgiving on Nov. 21, is the anticipated sequel to last year’s “Wicked,” an adaptation of the Broadway musical that was originally released in 2003 that relates to “The Wizard of Oz.” In “For Good,” which is the darker, more intense half of the musical, the movie wraps up all the unresolved issues left at the end of the first movie.
At the end of the first “Wicked” movie, Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) had just become Oz’s “Wicked Witch of the West,” and Glinda (Ariana Grande) had just become Oz’s “Good Witch of the North” or “Glinda the Good.” As viewers know, Elphaba’s uprising stemmed from rebelling against the Wizard (Jeff Goldblum) in attempt to help the animals of Oz and prevent them from being exiled. The Wizard, along with Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh) and even Glinda, who was Elphaba’s “best friend,” created the image that Elphaba was the true evil in Oz and encouraged the people of Oz to fear her.
Like the first movie (and the musical itself), the second movie also contains insane plot twists and unexpected curve balls. “Wicked” and especially “Wicked: For Good” provides the backstories on many characters from the story and clarifies plot holes that are left out of the original “The Wizard of Oz” movie that we have all probably seen. For instance, we discover that the little lion cub that Elphaba saved in the first movie grew up to become the Cowardly Lion.
Also, while I do not typically love musicals, this one had some of the best music, casting and acting I have ever seen in a movie musical. Though the music in “For Good” did not quite top the songs in “Wicked,” the music still was very impressive. Cynthia Erivo’s and Ariana Grande’s vocals together, on top of their acting skills and friendship off screen, left the audience stunned every time.
Even though I appreciated the acting and casting, there has been quite a lot of controversy about the casting of both movies because of the recently released list of alternative actors that were considered for the roles, especially that of Madame Morrible. After seeing the other people considered for the role, a lot of hate towards Yeoh and her acting and singing skills flooded social media. However, I personally thought that she played her character very well; she is supposed to be a villain, not a beautiful opera singer like Glinda.
Overall, I absolutely loved this new movie. I thought that the music was beautifully done and that the acting left me speechless, and I am waiting with bated breath to watch it again. I would highly recommend, if you have not watched this movie already, to get into both “Wicked” movies, as they have became some of my all-time favorite films.
