As theatre lights dimmed and the smell of popcorn drifted through the air of movie theatres, a familiar emerald green washed over the screen. “Wicked: For Good” arrived with built-up anticipation after a whole year of nonstop hype after the release of the first movie last November. From memes of Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande going viral on social media to “Defying Gravity” populating playlists, the second part of the Wicked franchise had much to live up to.
To its credit, the movie featured exceptional performances. Supporting characters such as the Wizard and Nessa finally received musical moments of their own, and Cynthia Erivo, Elphaba, and Ariana Grande, Glinda, delivered with strong renditions of songs like “Not That Girl” and “For Good.” Even so, these strong performances simply lacked the emotion and distinction that made every track from “Wicked,” feel iconic. None of the songs particularly stood out, and the emotional depth that defined the first movie just was not there.
More frustrating was the film’s reluctance to explore plotlines that could have added genuine depth. Elphaba’s relationship with the animals, for instance, barely registered beyond a few brief scenes. The film showed their oppression, but never fleshed it out enough for the audience to understand why their fate mattered so much, or why this caused Elphaba’s grand transformation in the first place. Instead, the movie devoted much more screentime to weak subplots like the romance between Fiyero and Elphaba.
Viewers were given slow pans, intense eye contact, and scenes clearly designed to suggest chemistry, but the spark simply wasn’t there. At times, the romance felt forced and the suggestiveness of the scenes felt oddly out of place for a movie still meant to appeal toward younger audiences. Their relationship felt rushed, in part because of the movie’s already chaotic pacing, and in part because it added little to the central narrative.
Furthermore, Elphaba and Glinda’s conflict over Fiyero didn’t help the situation. Seeing this iconic duo upset over the same boy felt out of character and surprisingly generic. It certainly introduced tension between characters but the film never did anything meaningful with it.
Beyond the romance, there were many other plotlines that seemed thrown in without a concrete explanation. Fiyero’s transformation into a scarecrow happens abruptly, Nessa’s sudden ability to read the spellbook is never explained, and Elphaba’s loss of resolve contradicts her initial determination the film had spent so much time developing. Each subplot felt like it could’ve been meaningful, but the execution left them feeling shallow and incomplete.
The final scenes only deepened my discontent with the movie. The Wizard’s sudden moral awakening, after years of manipulation and cruelty, was unconvincing. It felt like the movie ran out of time and needed him to stop, so he just… did. There was no real struggle, no confrontation, and it felt like we were deprived of a satisfying moment where he faced consequences for his actions. Then, Elphaba and Fiyero’s final escape from Oz introduced more questions about their future and the world beyond Oz, none of which the film attempted to answer.
Ultimately, “Wicked: For Good” couldn’t quite rise to meet its hype. The musical numbers impressed, and longtime fans may have found comfort in revisiting familiar characters, but the story never found the clarity or emotional depth that made the original resonate. While the movie may have defied gravity, it did not quite defy our low expectations.
