Earlier this week, I watched the theater fill with \u201cWicked<\/a>\u201d fans of all ages, genders and races: kids in pink and green, men in shimmery shoes and themed shirts, women in matching merch, tiaras or black hats.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Part 2 of \u201cWicked,\u201d the musical adapted from Gregory Maguire\u2019s novel of the same name that reimagines \u201cThe Wizard of Oz\u201d and humanizes the story\u2019s iconic witches, Elphaba and Glinda, is finally in theaters.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n When the lights dimmed and a pre-recorded video of Ariana Grande<\/a> and Cynthia Erivo<\/a> welcomed us back to the world of Oz, everyone clapped, filling the theater with a palpable anticipation. However, a lingering question hovered in the space between their message and the opening sequence: Would Part 2 do this much-loved story justice? <\/p>\n<\/div>\n The answer is yes. The film is nothing less than spectacular in scope and theme. It\u2019s obvious that it was intentionally crafted to continue telling the story while simultaneously celebrating both the legacy of the Stephen Schwartz-composed musical and the impact it has had on fans since Jon M. Chu\u2019s<\/a> \u201cWicked: Part 1\u201d was released last November, democratizing<\/a><\/span> the story<\/a> for a larger, global audience. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cPart 1\u201d is the musical\u2019s first act and explains the backstories of Elphaba (Erivo) and Glinda (Grande). It shows how the green girl, who is to become the Wicked Witch of the West, befriends the blonde girl, who is to become the Good Witch of the North. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n The first movie ends at the climactic moment when Elphaba is being scapegoated by the nefarious Wonderful Wizard of Oz (Jeff Goldblum) and Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh) as a wicked witch whose green skin is an \u201coutward manifestorium of her twisted nature.\u201d She becomes a common enemy to distract from the wizard\u2019s subjugation of the animals he has caged and his tactics to control the Ozians \u2014 namely, his plan for the yellow brick road, which will allow him to spy and track his citizens\u2019 movements. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n The film ends when Elphaba rises into the sky above the city, proclaiming that she is \u201cunlimited\u201d and refusing to let the wizard ground her. Erivo leaves audiences with her iconic riff in \u201cDefying Gravity\u201d while Glinda turns away and is ushered back into the safety of the Emerald City, cementing the dichotomy between wicked and good.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Giles Keyte\/Universal Pictures<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n For the past year, fans have been forced to \u201chold space\u201d for Elphaba\u2019s empowering act of defiance, but one can only fight gravity for so long. The fall is where \u201cWicked: For Good\u201d begins. It unspools the consequences of every characters\u2019 actions and how each grapples with the reality of their choices.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Elphaba has built a hideout in the forest and is living in exile, determined to unveil the wizard\u2019s destructive lies single-handedly. The wizard and Madame Morrible have placed Glinda on a pedestal, and she has pulled Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey) up with her, so their wedding can give the people something to celebrate. To complicate the plot further, Fiyero is in love with Elphaba; Nessarose (Marissa Bode), Elphaba\u2019s sister, has stepped into her deceased father\u2019s shoes to govern Munchkinland with the help of Boq (Ethan Slater). Also, a female child and her dog are about to fall from the sky. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n Despite these difficulties, it would be easy for \u201cFor Good\u201d to feel anti-climactic and overwhelmingly dark. After all, it is about Elphaba\u2019s descent, or, to put it another way, her melting. The first act of the musical, when Glinda and Elphaba become friends, is the easier part of the story to tell. It can be summarized as \u201cpink goes well with green,\u201d and the story\u2019s opposites-attract nature is epitomized through clever bops like \u201cWhat Is This Feeling?\u201d \u201cDancing Through Life\u201d and \u201cPopular.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The second act doesn\u2019t have as many catchy musical numbers, but \u201cFor Good\u201d does an amazing job of navigating this potential disappointment by revamping the soundtrack. According to Schwartz, who co-produced it, at least half of the music is new in some way. \u201cEvery Day More Wicked,\u201d a brand-new song, serves as the film\u2019s opener. It is a well-executed medley that weaves together memorable pieces of songs from the first film to situate viewers in the story. There are also two completely new songs: \u201cNo Place Like Home\u201d sung by Erivo as Elphaba and \u201cThe Girl in the Bubble\u201d sung by Grande as Glinda, and \u201cWonderful\u201d was revised to include Glinda.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Ultimately, the music unifies the plot. Unlike the first film, in which the characters spend most of their time together at Shiz University, in \u201cFor Good\u201d they are mostly on individual journeys that intersect at key moments. The music is what ties these threads together and prevents the plot from feeling choppy. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n The consistency it creates also gives the story more room to explore the different places and people of Oz, showcasing the true magnitude of Nathan Crowley\u2019s production design. From Elphaba\u2019s forest hideout and her crumbling castle to Glinda\u2019s quarters in the Emerald City, the level of detail in each scene is hyper-realistic, surpassing what most movies accomplish using CGI or AI. This realism is enhanced through Paul Tazewell\u2019s impressively detailed costumes and Frances Hannon\u2019s hair and make-up design. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"Cynthia](\"https:\/\/img.huffingtonpost.com\/asset\/6920a9c21700002320a90eb4.png?cache=AifoKkn6Hm&ops=scalefit_720_noupscale&format=webp)
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