Everyone throws around the term “hot takes” these days, which is all about quick, controversial opinions that get people talking. After seeing “Wicked: For Good,” I’ve got a few hot takes of my own. I think the second movie is better than the first.
“Wicked: For Good” came out on Nov. 21, and it gained a lot of hype right away. It made $223 million worldwide and became the biggest opening ever for a stage-musical adaptation. The story picks up a few years after the events of the first film. Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) is now known as the Wicked Witch, and Glinda (Ariana Grande) is stepping into her role as Glinda the Good.
One thing that really stood out was how the movie brought in storylines from the original “The Wizard of Oz” film. These details made the movie more fun because they gave me something familiar to latch onto. For example, when Elphaba uses magic to lift her sister Nessa and Nessa’s silver shoes glow red, it hints at how she’ll become the Wicked Witch of the East and get crushed by Dorothy’s house.
I also liked seeing the yellow brick road being built at the start, foreshadowing the iconic march Dorothy, Toto, the Lion, the Scarecrow and the Tin Man later take in the film. And the scenes where Boq turns into the Tin Man, Fiyero becomes the Scarecrow, and the lion cub turns into the Cowardly Lion were just so cool to see! I kept nudging my friend in the theater like, “Wait, is this person about to become that character?”
It made the movie feel really interactive. Another point I have is the pacing. The first movie had its moments, but it had a 2 hour and 40 minute runtime, making some parts feel slow or forgettable (though I might just need to rewatch it). But “Wicked: For Good” kept my attention from beginning to end.
What’s a musical without good music, right? I will say part one has some of the most well known songs and my absolute favorites like “Defying Gravity,” “Dancing Through Life,” “What Is This Feeling?,” and “Popular.” But, the second movie still has its own fair share of great songs. The final song, “For Good,” captures the story of Glinda and Elphaba’s complicated friendship and it was definitely a tearjerker.
I could hear people sniffling around me in the theater. And I was pleasantly surprised by “Wonderful,” sung by Jeff Goldblum and Ariana Grande. I’ve seen mixed reactions online, but I’d put it in my top three from part two. The bright visuals and upbeat music work really well to illustrate the Wizard and Glinda’s child-like manipulation, trying to get Elphaba to join them by showing how “wonderful” it would be. I also thought Grande’s singing made it even better, considering she isn’t a part of it in the original musical!
As for performances, the actors delivered. Cynthia Erivo is the heart of the movie, and Ariana Grande is always vocally impressive. I liked that Jonathan Bailey brought more emotion to Fiyero in this film. A notable scene of him is when he points his weapon at Glinda to defend Elphaba; his facial acting skills really were present here.
I was shocked by Ethan Slater as the Tin Man. I wasn’t aware of his performance ability, but he shined in a role that requires a lot of raw anger, a huge contrast from his character Boq. The only one I wasn’t entirely blown away by was Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible. She’s an amazing actor in other projects but the singing didn’t really seem to be one of her strong suits.
The relationship between Elphaba and Fiyero is a personal highlight for me, and easily my favorite part of this film. I’ve been rooting for them since part I, so I was very happy to watch their relationship fully develop here. Their relationship seems real and they get each other on a deeper level. He accepts her in a world where she’s never been truly accepted.
I love when Fiyero tells Elphaba she’s beautiful and follows it by saying, “It’s not lying, it’s seeing things a different way.” Later on, when he becomes the Scarecrow and she repeats that back to him, it really shows how much they care about each other beyond their appearances.
The theme of perspectives also comes up a lot, like when Elphaba tells Glinda to see her through “their” eyes (referring to the public who are scared of the Wicked Witch). To me, this perfectly highlights why Glinda and Fiyero don’t work: Glinda judges people superficially and on the surface. She cares about her reputation and how people view her, which is exactly why she becomes “Glinda the Good” and fakes her powers in order to be praised by everyone.
Early in part two, even Fiyero notices Glinda’s obsession with public admiration. When he tells her he wants to leave and search for Elphaba, Glinda insists that Elphaba “doesn’t want to be found.” Fiyero sees through her immediately and points out that the real reason she won’t leave is because she loves the crowd’s praise which you can hear in the background, revealing an early rift in their relationship. Even though she grows and learns to see things differently, this is not something innate for her unlike Elphaba and Fiyero. That’s why their ending, walking hand in hand into the deadly desert together, was perfect and felt so well earned for me.
The second movie also looks closer at the social issues that were brought up earlier. Racism is there in both movies, but I really noticed how part two gets into the darkness of oppression in Oz. For example, we see the goat professor, Doctor Dillamond, is now a voiceless prisoner in a cage. His story is similar to real world scenarios where marginalized people are silenced and even stripped of their identity.
The scenes with the angry mobs also show how the Wizard/Madame Morrible’s fear-mongering and lies create propaganda, which shape the crowd’s perspective and turn them against people they don’t truly know or even understand. Watching them menacingly march together with torches to kill the Wicked Witch felt a little too similar to protests in today’s world and political climate.
Glinda’s story also makes the idea of justice in both films more complicated. At the end, she frees the animals of Oz and tries to undo the harm done by the Wizard and Madame Morrible. In a lot of ways, the ending is positive and there’s a sense of justice because it respects what Elphaba was fighting for the entire film. But some might say that Glinda can make these changes simply because she’s a white woman in power who people trust right away even though she is a fraud. Meanwhile, Elphaba, played by a Black actress and seen as an outlier in the plot, was made into a villain for speaking the truth that no one wanted to hear.
It is a sad realization that the same system could be looked at differently just because of racial and social biases. And since Glinda never clears Elphaba’s name, some viewers aren’t sure if she’s trying to fight for justice or just protect her own image. I think Glinda is trying to do the right thing, or at least that’s what the movie wants to deliver, but I get why others see it differently.
Overall, I truly believe “Wicked: For Good” is more emotional, more thoughtful, and more engaging than the first movie. It stuck with me long after I left the theatre. I’d give it a 4.5 out of 5!
