Director Jon M. Chu returns alongside the cast of the original to close the spell-binding story of “Wicked.” Although the follow up, “Wicked: For Good,” attempts to expand on the musical’s lackluster second act, the garbled storyline disregards what could be cathartic moments in favor of moving onto the next plot point — whether that be the introduction of the Tin Man or a sister-murdering house catapulted by the bitter winds of a twister.
“Wicked: For Good” opens in media res, right where the first part ended. Elphaba, played by Cynthia Erivo, has been bestowed the title of The Wicked Witch, and Glinda, played by Ariana Grande, receives the opportunity to be Oz’s guiding light. The separate stories of the two friends leave the screen devoid of Erivo and Grande’s breathtaking chemistry, but the moments shared by the pair glimmer due to their natural rapport.
Yet, the duo cannot breathe enough life into the haphazardly directed, polluted script. Action sequences are shot through the shadows of characters, and the washed-out color palette — the first part’s greatest pitfall — only makes the shaky cam shot action sequences more difficult to follow. The Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion and the Scarecrow all make appearances to connect “Wicked” with “The Wizard of Oz,” but their inclusion jumbles characterization and defies most of the logic that Chu developed in the first part.
Perhaps most saddening about the sequel is its failure as a musical. Chu’s vision morphs from adapting a musical for the silver screen into making a blockbuster that features a couple of musical numbers. The set piece for “No Good Deed” combined with the sudden pacing of “For Good” demonstrate the script’s shoehorned nature. “No Good Deed” unfolds upon essentially blank space, as the entire set is seemingly composed of computer generated terrain set against CGI monkeys flying in the sky’s Photoshopped orange hues.
However, the muddied visuals of “No Good Deed” do not compare to the abysmal desolation of “For Good.” Nothing cues that this song is the grand finale. A grey tower and an offscreen major character fail to evoke grandeur, while the laughably obtuse framing of Glinda and Elphaba divided by a door frame feels uninspired. One of the final frames that these two friends will share deprives itself of even the slightest shred of glitz, glamor or care — the overall aesthetic of “Wicked For Good.”
Grande and Erivo’s performance continue to attract, but their separation combined with disorienting pacing hinders many of the emotional beats. A technicolorless world of wonderlessness cannot be saved by the leads’ delightfully eccentric performances.
