My last year’s review of “Wicked” began with the notion that the film would have been much better if someone didn’t make the decision to split act one and act two of the 2003 Broadway musical into two separate movies (apparently, this idea might have stemmed from Craig Mazin?).
Now that the second film, “Wicked: For Good” (a roughly hour-long act stretched into a two-hour-and-17-minute movie), has come out, I feel I can firmly say that I think I was right. But that certainly doesn’t make me feel any better.
“Wicked: For Good” (directed by Jon M. Chu and co-written by Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox), picks up where the first film left off. Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) is now the Wicked Witch of the West, trying to prove to everyone that the Wizard (Jeff Goldblum) is a non-magical fraud only interested in oppressing and subjugating the talking animals that live in Oz. Her former best friend Glinda (Ariana Grande) has taken the easier route, content to be the spokesperson for the Wizard as she tries to soothe everyone’s fears and keep them happy.
Read Sammie’s full review on Rough Draft
