Ding, dong, the sequel to 2024’s Wicked is here. Wicked: For Good, which hit theaters Nov. 21, highlights the powerful Act II of the hit Broadway musical.
While PG, if you took your family to the first one, you should be aware that Wicked: For Good is not as bright and cheerful.
The question is, will this meet the expectations of someone looking for a film for the whole family?
First, how did the Wicked film series come to be?
If you haven’t seen the first movie or aren’t familiar with the musical prequel to/reimagining of The Wizard of Oz, you can read more about it here.
The musical takes inspiration from Gregory Maguire‘s Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West (the book is decidedly NOT PG/family friendly), which was originally planned as a movie until Stephen Schwartz (The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Prince of Egypt), persuaded Marc Platt (How to Train Your Dragon, La La Land), the film producer, that it should be a stage musical ... if Maguire agreed.
Coming full circle, the musical is now a two-part movie series.
If you’re a fan of 1939’s The Wizard of Oz or saw 2024 Wicked, you may be tempted to take your family to the newest Wicked film, but here are five things to keep in mind.
Wicked: For Good is tonally darker than 2024’s Wicked
Act IIs in musicals and sequels are often grittier than their predecessors. Wicked: For Good is no different. It even removes some jokes that are in the stage musical as they don’t fit anymore.
It’s in this second movie where we see Nessarose (Marissa Bode) become the chilling and obsessive Wicked Witch of the East, where we see how deeply corrupt The Wizard (Jeff Goldblum) and Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh) are, and where Ariana Grande gives a heartbreaking performance as Glinda.
While wonderfully performed, it lacks some of the charm of the first half of the series.
Wicked: For Good deals with powerful messages of redemption and sacrifice
In opening the story to be more serious, the film dives into timeless themes. From Glinda’s bubble of complacency finally bursting to the sacrificial acts of Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), there's a lot to unpack.
Families will appreciate what the movie says about unconditional love and seeking truth and goodness.
Wicked: For Good makes Elphaba more morally grey
You can see another thematic element about falling from grace in this film. Elphaba, who held on to her values so tightly in the first movie, does get her moment as the Wicked Witch of the West. She still kidnaps a child after all.
But that’s not all – spoilers ahead – she runs away with Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey), who was Glinda’s fiancé. Speaking of the Elphaba and Fiyero romance, I was curious about how they would handle the passionate duet “As Long as You’re Mine” in the movie. Panning away and then later showing Bailey shirtless were the answers. So, it still manages to stay in the PG rating.
And later, Elphaba even briefly swears off doing good in the song, “No Good Deed.”
Wicked: For Good significantly changes beloved characters (spoiler warning!)
Another element of this gloomier film is that famous characters are morphed into something different from L. Frank Baum’s original works, starting with The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
It's highly recommended to mentally separate the characters from previous writings and films.
More spoilers: It’s in this film that we get origin stories for the Cowardly Lion, the Tin Man, and the Scarecrow, here played by, respectively, Colman Domingo, and Wicked stars Ethan Slater (Boq) and Jonathan Bailey (Fiyero).
While I think their origin stories are decently clever, the former two will likely not be your favorite characters.
Wicked: For Good ends mostly happy
Despite the emotional roller coaster that this film is and most of us knowing what happens to the Wicked Witch of the West, this movie manages to create an arguably happy ending.
Even with the sniffles I heard during “For Good,” the film lands on a satisfyingly high note. Perhaps, more so than the stage musical’s end as we actually get to see more of the effects of Elphaba and Glinda standing up to The Wizard.
So, does Wicked: For Good live up to expectations?
If you’re worried about the film being too dark for your family, that’s an understandable worry. It’s definitely for older kids. But from what I have heard, L. Frank Baum’s works have heavy topics, too.
A film like this -- a reinvention of a classic tale that flips the script of the original -- always offers an opportunity to engage in discussions about good and evil, right and wrong, and how the media chooses to portray them.
I was pretty engaged for the 2 hours and 18 minutes, which I’d say is a good sign considering I tend to hate long movies. Yet, as such a big fan of the musical (I’ve seen it live twice, own a book with music from it, etc.), I must admit, I liked the 2024 film better.
Bonus Content
I was very excited about the additions of new songs. Watch Stephen Schwartz talk about two of them here:
Image: Universal Pictures
Freelance journalist Josh Shepherd writes on faith and culture for several media outlets. He and his family live in central Florida.
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