Wicked’s Storylines Wrap, For Good
The rushed second installment left something lacking as every character reached their final film destinations.
By Lola Offenback
Wicked: For Good was amazing on its own, but in comparison to the first installation, Wicked, it paled in comparison. I get it, there were a ton of storylines that needed to be tied up and many plotlines to follow through from the previous movie, but the first half of For Good felt like a rushed continuum of stories to follow.
After getting through the first half of the film, with the concluding horizon in sight, I finally settled into the development of character relationships and saw the incredible character arc of Glinda Upland (Ariana Grande). To me, her arc was the most enjoyable part of the entire film.
However, to achieve this character growth, I felt that Elphaba Thropp’s (Cynthia Erivo) moral compass was diminished in the process. Elphaba stays true to her overarching character, but I struggle to see how she could betray Glinda in the ways she did, with seemingly no guilt in the process.
The film had to wrap the storylines of many, many characters: from Nessarose to Dr. Dillamond, to Dulcibear and more, which added to the rushed complexity of For Good. I enjoyed the glimpses of past characters the audience learned to grow so fond of, but I would have been okay sacrificing some of these side plot conclusions to develop more in-depth arcs for a select few.
I did not fully enjoy all of the music in this film. To me, the vocals featured in the film felt more conversational than focused on musicality, especially for No Good Deed, which I was most looking forward to hearing in this film.
I will say, Ethan Slater’s (Boq/Woodsman) intonation and passion were incredible to see, and I felt that his musical performance improved in this film. I loved hearing Boq’s rightfully pent-up anger finally seep through in March of the Witch Hunters.
Overall, I can not deny that I enjoyed the production, and it was satisfying to finally see these characters conclude their epic journey together. The bond that both the characters and actors formed over the course of these two films has been nothing short of fascinating to watch.
From manic wand battles to effervescent sets to emotional goodbyes, Wicked: For Good left my heart emotionally full, yet I felt like there was one vital piece missing.
