"We found it very difficult to get past 'Defying Gravity' without a break... whatever scene to follow it without a break just seemed hugely anti-climactic," composer Stephen Schwartz explained in 2022 about the decision to split Wicked into two movies. The difficulty of following up a stone-cold classic like 'Defying Gravity' could equally be applied to the challenge faced by Wicked: For Good to live up to Wicked.
The first movie became the highest-grossing musical adaptation of all time with a magical $758 million worldwide and it landed 10 Oscar nominations, including for Best Picture. All indications point to Wicked: For Good repeating the feat with record-breaking pre-sales at the box office, but it's not yet clear whether it will prove to be as beloved by the audience as the first movie.
If you want to start a debate with Wicked fans, just say that the second act of the musical is weaker than the first. Some will agree with you with reasons such as pacing issues and no songs that quite live up to 'Defying Gravity'; others will say that, actually, there are some great songs in act two that may even surpass the musical's most iconic song. There's not a 'right' answer as it's subjective, but you can expect a similar debate with Wicked: For Good.
While it's shorter than the first movie, Wicked: For Good again expands on the musical as it remains faithful to the story. It's not just with the addition of two new songs, as scenes are also expanded to attempt to correct the rushed nature of the musical's second act. On the whole, it's successful, especially when it comes to strengthening Glinda's arc, but the final third still feels like an unnecessary race to the finish.
Fans are also rewarded with more interaction between Elphaba and Glinda, compared to the musical. It's a small tweak, with Glinda now actively involved in 'Wonderful', but the strength of the first movie was in Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande's chemistry, and the first third of the movie sorely misses it.
That's always the challenge when it comes to being faithful to source material. It's not the fault of director Jon M Chu and writers Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox that the musical largely keeps Elphaba and Glinda apart, nor that the songs are largely solo numbers or duets that don't lend themselves to bigger choreography. However, you're left wishing there was more creative licence applied as Wicked: For Good just comes across as feeling quite safe.
What to Read Next
The two new songs – Elphaba's 'No Place Like Home' and Glinda's 'The Girl in the Bubble' – are reflective of this. Both are soul-searching solo numbers that are delivered well by Erivo and Grande, but they're not distinctive enough to stand out. 'The Girl in the Bubble' is the stronger of the two, with clever use of reflections in the staging, but they both feel like missed opportunities to improve on the musical.
There are stand-out moments elsewhere, especially with 'No Good Deed' which sees Erivo deliver incredible vocals – the movie even cuts to black after it as though expecting spontaneous applause – and the emotional 'For Good' which is beautifully sung by Erivo and Grande. You have to wait for both of them, but at least they prove worth it and make the second half of Wicked: For Good an improvement on the first.
If this comes across as too downbeat for a movie that's still, on the whole, an engaging and affecting watch, it's because the first movie expanded and improved on the musical. The sequel – or continuation, whatever you want to call it – does the first bit, but rarely does the second on a consistent enough basis to truly fly.
For some fans, it might be enough to get more of Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande's excellent performances that confirm they were perfect casting for the roles. For others, though, Wicked: For Good won't prove to be quite as wonderful as the first movie.
Wicked: For Good is released in cinemas on 21 November.
The new edition of Living Legends is here! Buy Ariana & Witches in newsagents or online, priced at just £8.99.
Movies Editor, Digital Spy Ian has more than 10 years of movies journalism experience as a writer and editor. Starting out as an intern at trade bible Screen International, he was promoted to report and analyse UK box-office results, as well as carving his own niche with horror movies, attending genre festivals around the world. After moving to Digital Spy, initially as a TV writer, he was nominated for New Digital Talent of the Year at the PPA Digital Awards. He became Movies Editor in 2019, in which role he has interviewed 100s of stars, including Chris Hemsworth, Florence Pugh, Keanu Reeves, Idris Elba and Olivia Colman, become a human encyclopedia for Marvel and appeared as an expert guest on BBC News and on-stage at MCM Comic-Con. Where he can, he continues to push his horror agenda – whether his editor likes it or not.
