Going into “Wicked” last year, my main concern was the seemingly bloated running time of the first of two stage-to-screen adaptations of the smash Broadway musical. The first film clocked in at roughly the time it would take to see the live show and it was only half of the story.
Some 160 minutes later, I found myself fully immersed in this reimagined world of Oz. It was full of energy and life and I was ready and waiting for my return trip.
But after sitting through a screening of “Wicked: For Good,” which opens in theaters Friday, I couldn’t wait for it to end. It’s dark, gloomy and utterly lacking in mirth. It’s difficult to believe the same team made both movies, which they filmed concurrently. That, plus it’s actually 23 minutes shorter than the first, yet comes across as a seemingly endless slog.
Based on the 1995 novel “Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West,” the 2003 musical take wowed audiences from the very beginning. It retells the classic tale through the eyes of schoolmates Elphaba Thropp (Cynthia Erivo) and Galinda Upland (Ariana Grande), a pair of friends/rivals who ultimately become the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good.
“Wicked,” the film, offers a series of terrific songs and eye-popping dance sequences that culminate with the show’s signature tune, “Defying Gravity,” the rare modern Broadway number that found success beyond the stage.
“Wicked: For Good,” meanwhile, comes across like a bad hangover, with depressed and depressing characters and situations and one of the bleakest happy endings around.
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (Jeff Goldblum at his Jeff Goldblumiest) has transformed the land into an authoritarian state with the help of sorceress Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh) and his army of enslaved winged monkeys. Still, Galinda is poised to marry a prince, Fiyero Tigelaar (People magazine’s current Sexiest Man Alive, Jonathan Bailey), a move she hopes will inspire the people of Oz.
As for Elphaba, she’s become public enemy number one thanks to her efforts to free the aforementioned flying monkeys and all of the other animals the Wizard of Oz has attempted to silence.
The second act of a musical should, in theory, build on the strengths of the first and bring the story together in a satisfying and timely manner. “Wicked: For Good” instead drags things out with lengthy and repetitive scenes. The songs aren’t as strong, either, and the two new ones add little to the proceedings.
While the source material for all of this is definitely not for kids, the musical and the films in particular are marketed toward a wide audience of all ages. But parents should be warned that “Wicked: For Good” may be too dark and mature for some youngsters. At times, it’s even scary. For unknown reasons, director Jon M. Chu somehow makes two sequences of liberation utterly joyless.
Erivo and Grande make the most of what they’ve got. Erivo is a magnetic persona with a magical voice and she shines through the muck. And just like in the first installment, Grande knows her assignment and imbues Galinda with the perfect combination of charm and a deceiving aura of empty headedness. Also, the film’s witty and cutting portrayal of Dorothy Gale offers some much-needed laughs.
But in the end, “Wicked: For Good” squanders its predecessor’s strengths and overstays its welcome. What a disappointment.
“Wicked: For Good”
Starring: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey, Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Goldblum
Rated: PG for action, thematic material and brief suggestive material
Should you go? You’re better off rewatching the first one. 2 stars.
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