It felt like something magical happened inside me as I was taken to far off lands and got to ‘meet’ these amazing characters. That magical feeling only grow when Friday night because VHS rental night and I found myself exposed to the worlds and universes that had been created by the likes of Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and James Cameron.
Now this isn’t to say that there hasn’t been some great movies made over the past few years but I’ll admit that it has been a long time since I sat there like a small child lapping up every piece of a film that was playing in front of me – but last night at the premiere of Wicked: For Good I have to admit there were moments when that inner child woke up inside me as I was once again transported back to Oz.
Plot wise things have moved along a little since last year’s Wicked. The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz (Jeff Goldblum – Jurassic Park) and Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh – Everything Everywhere All At Once) are still using Glinda (Ariana Grande – Don’t Look Up) as their puppet as they continue to impose their draconian rules on the animals of Oz.
At public appearances they use her goodness and relationship with Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey – Bridgerton) to make out that everything is running smoothly in the Land of Oz. Morrible even goes to the lengths of making Glinda look magical to the people – something that Glinda laps up with glee.
Meanwhile Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo – Harriet) is Public Enemy #1. Morrible has made sure that the nickname The Wicked Witch of The West has become known throughout the land and whenever Elphaba does to try to help the animals it is basically reported as a terrorist attack.
She tries to stay hidden but realises that she can’t once she sees that her sister Nessarose (Marissa Bode – Wicked), who is now Governor of Munchikinland, has been forced to sign a proclamation that now basically treats the Munchikins as animals – something that has damaged Nessarose’s relationship with Boq (Ethan Slater – The Man Behind The Camera).
As Elphaba decides to take her fight against The Wizard and Madame Morrible public it soon turns to hearts being broken and new battles beginning. They are only made worse by the arrival of a strange young girl from Kansas – Dorothy and her dog Toto.
Magic
I honestly can’t say that Wicked: For Good is a brilliant fan, I can’t even say that it is film of the year, but what I can say is that somehow director Jon M. Chu (In The Heights) really has brought some magic to the screen this time around. This film is very different to its predecessor – I was critical of Wicked because I felt that it didn’t tap into the Wizard of Oz folklore enough – but here Wicked: For Good not only does the film touch on it it openly embraces it.
Chu and his screenwriters, Winnie Holman (Roadies) and Dana Fox (Cruella), manage to merge the story of Wicked into The Wizard Of Oz remarkably well. Characters like Dorothy, Toto, The Cowardly Lion and The Tin Man are creatively interwoven into the Wicked side of the story. And yes Scarecrow is there as well but I am kind of the dubious about the way they did it.
Even key events from The Wizard of Oz are used in Wicked: For Good but the audience gets to see them from a different angle which reveals that at times things weren’t exactly as they seemed in the original film.
Perhaps the most powerful element of the writing here though is how they take the villain of The Wicked Witch Of The West from The Wizard Of Oz and make her Elphaba – a character the audience warms to as we watch her stick up for animals and the Munchkins and want to bring down those doing evil in Oz. Not only do the audience like a character that was once considered evil you find yourself wanting her to win while learning valuable moral lessons from her.
The film is made stronger by brilliant performances by Erivo and Grande. Erivo works hard to make the dramatic scenes of the film memorable while it is Grande that saves the musical side of the film. The soundtrack here is weaker than the first film but Grande mixes it up by hitting some high notes that will really make the audience go “WOW!!!”
Wicked: For Good does have some weak points, such as what feels like a rushed ending, but aside from that it has a strong storyline, memorable performances and becomes a perfect companion piece for The Wizard Of Oz.
Wicked: For Good is currently screening in Phuket and is rated ‘G’
4/5 Stars
David Griffiths has been working as a film journalist for over 25 years. That time has seen him work in radio, television and in print. He currently hosts a film podcast called The Popcorn Conspiracy. He is also a Rotten Tomatoes accredited reviewer and is an alternate judge for the Golden Globes Awards. You can follow him at Facebook: SubcultureEntertainmentAus.