Movie musicals tend to be hit or miss, and the guiding principle for many of them is “either go big or go home”. A number of the finest include West Side Story, Cabaret, Grease, All That Jazz, Chicago, Hairspray, La La Land, and Tick Tick Boom. Some films are well-acted and technically brilliant but have mixed results, such as Across the Universe, The Last Five Years, and Emilia Perez. Other attempts at the genre gained a cult following. Finally, there are some that are terribly made, such as A Chorus Line, Cats, Joker: Foie a Deux and Kiss of the Spider-Woman. A number of musicals either stray too far from the source material, add too many original elements, or miss the whole point of the story.

Directed by Jon Chu, Wicked: For Good is the conclusion to the two-part adaptation of Stephen Schwartz’ Broadway musical Wicked, which was inspired by the 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire and the Oz books by L. Frank Baum. Having been planned as one film, it was split into two instalments at the behest of Universal Pictures. Many people raised eyebrows at the decision, because such an act would seem like a mere cash grab. Yet the gamble paid off, because last year’s Wicked proved to be a box-office success, received critical praise from audiences and critics, and won multiple awards (including two Oscars). Now, the story continues in a film that shows a darker, more introspective turn from the first movie. The big question: does Wicked: For Good rise to the occasion and deliver the goods?

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Five years after the events of the first movie, the story picks up with Glinda Upland (Ariana Grande) serving under the Wizard of Oz (Jeff Goldblum) and his vizier Madam Morrible (Michelle Yeoh). As part of a new media campaign, work on a yellow brick road is underway, but production is undertaken with animals being conscripted to work. Elphaba Thropp (Cynthia Erivo) is rebelling against the regime by sabotaging the Wizard’s construction of the road and attempting to liberate the animals. Consequently, she becomes the target of propaganda blasting her as an evil monster. Several rumours abound, such as her supposed powers and the much-touted belief that she’s deathly allergic to water. Elphaba attempts to convince the animals to join her in a fight against the Wizard and Morrible, but her efforts are ultimately in vain as many of them choose to flee the country. She contemplates the idea of leaving Oz forever, since one of her frequent visions of a supposed future involves crossing a desert, but decides not to run.

Although she has success and fame, Glinda is secretly troubled by Elphaba being hunted by the Wizard’s soldiers. Deep down, she harbours several misgivings over being in such a lauded position. A childhood flashback reveals that Glinda wanted to stand out from an early age, but was left feeling humiliated at her inability to make magic. Now she is no longer obsessed with popularity, but she feels unworthy and not deserving of her current status. In addition, she is also engaged to Prince Fiyero Tigelaar (Jonathan Bailey), who’s now serving the Wizard as the Captain of the Gale Force guards. While assigned to capture the Witch by any means necessary, Fiyero is quietly uneasy over the task of trying to capture Elphaba, and he still holds unresolved feelings for her.

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Meanwhile, things are not going well in Munchkinland. Governor Nessarose Thropp (Marissa Bode) is struggling with her current situation and the stigma of being the Wicked Witch’s sister. Despite having an important position, she does not want to be compared to Elphaba and tries to bring reforms. Such measures include all animals and Munchkins needing travel passes to come and go from the country. She blames Elphaba’s descent into villainy as the cause of their father’s fatal heart attack, and the sisters haven’t spoken for some years. In addition, Nessarose wants to have Boq Woodman (Ethan Slater), her boyfriend from college, at her side.What makes things complicated is that Boq still has romantic feelings for Glinda, and he wants to leave Munchkinland upon hearing about her engagement to Fiyero. In order to prevent his departure, Nessarose passes a decree preventing citizens from leaving the country. This only serves to make her even more despised, and she feels like she’s become “The Wicked Witch of the East”. When Elphaba arrives to try and make amends, Nessarose coldly reacts with fury and distrust upon seeing her, but the two slowly come to an understanding of sorts as the former tries to help the latter realize her dream of flying. Ultimately, the visit leads to both sisters making choices that will have lasting consequences for themselves and others.

What Elphaba wants is for the Wizard to reverse his anti-animal legislation and to admit the truth: that he is a sham who cannot perform magic. She is most driven by the fact that he professes to being a great and powerful figure to the people of Oz, yet is manipulating them to do his bidding while he uses technology and special effects to present the image of a magical leader. Upon confronting him once more, Elphaba demands he confess the truth to the public, and Glinda urges them to come to an understanding. Despite the Wizard’s protests that he’s tried telling the truth before, he ultimately commits to doing so on the condition that Elphaba comes to work by his side. Elphaba agrees to the offer if he’ll free the animals who’ve suffered under his regime. This leads to a horrifying discovery in which the Wizard’s true colours are shown, and Elphaba angrily renounces him once more. During the wedding of Glinda, she causes an incident which leads to her being pursued by Fiyero and the guards. This leaves Glinda deeply heartbroken, because she is convinced that her fiancé is in love with Elphaba.

Fiyero takes Elphaba into the wilderness, and he urges her to hide in an unused, decaying castle that his family purchased long ago. Determined to bring Elphaba down, the Wizard and Madame Morrible come up with a ploy to catch her at the behest of Glinda. By spreading a false rumour about Nessarose being in danger, they hope to spring a trap and capture their enemy when she comes out into the open. Morrible conjures up a giant tornado, which brings a very familiar-looking farmhouse down from the sky. The arrival of a human girl from another world sets Elphaba and Glinda on an emotional collision course, and it leads to an emotional fallout between them. Both women are determined to see the journey through to the end, and it will put their friendship to the test. When all is over, neither of them will be the same as before.

Ariana Grande shines as Glinda, and she proves herself to be a versatile actress. Whereas the first film was the origin story of Elphaba becoming the Wicked Witch of the West, this story is largely about how Glinda is working her way to earn the title of “Glinda the Good Witch”.

Having evolved from the spoiled, vain girl in the previous movie, she conveys a mature woman grappling with adulthood. She retains lighter, comedic moments in the first half of the film, but her performance shows a more nuanced, troubled side. This is most apparent in the introduction song “Thank Goodness/I Couldn’t Be Happier”, in which she has to exude joy while suppressing her nagging doubts. Her most devastating moment is a reprise of “I’m Not That Girl”, expressing sadness on what should have been the best day of her life.

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Cynthia Erivo delivers a moving, layered performance as Elphaba. She really dominates as a singer and gives a dramatic evolution to her character. Among her many highlights includes the rage-filled song “No Good Deed”, in which she decides to give in to the image people have foisted on her, stop pursuing good acts, and embrace being wicked. It’s a tragic moment to watch, since she examines her actions, questions whether the motives were pure, and laments not being able to succeed. Ultimately, it is her heartfelt performance in the climatic “For Good”, in which she laments, “And now whatever way our stories end/I know you have re-written mine/By Being my friend”.

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The rest of the cast does well in their roles. Jonathan Bailey makes for a conflicted, somber Fiyero as he grapples with his new position and the impending nuptials to Glinda while showing signs of affection for Elphaba. This is a more subtle, adult take on the character who previously urged people to not worry and “keep on dancing” through life’s challenges in the last film. His vocal performance alongside Erivo in the soaring ballad “As Long As You’re Mine” is both tender and heartbreaking to hear. Michelle Yeoh delivers a conniving, manipulative take on Madame Morrible, and it is her efforts that keep the conflict in motion. Marissa Bode shows a conflicted, tormented side to Nessarose as she tries to assert herself while coming to terms with her sister’s infamous reputation. While she has most of her screen time with Erivo, Bode manages to make the character sympathetic and frustrating as she stumbles through one misguided choice after another. Ethan Slater brings a tragic amiability to Boq as he attempts to assert himself. It is both admirable and sad to see him act more independent and seek out Glinda, because the viewer knows neither will come to pass. A certain transformation in Act One is terrifying to watch, because Slater really sells the pain and horror of his new situation. Perhaps his most unsettling moment is leading the charge in “The March of the Hunters”, in which he urges the citizens of Oz to hunt down Elphaba. It brings to mind the “Mob Song” of Beauty and The Beast, in which people are stirred by hatred into pursuing violence. One particular moment has him sharing a scene with Grande, and while they don’t talk, several emotions are on display for the both of them.

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Jeff Goldblum is a delight to watch as the Wizard of Oz, because the audience gets to see how he continually wheels and deals his way through various situations. One of his more subtle, nuanced moments occurs when admitting to Glinda that he previously tried telling the people the truth about him before simply giving up. Another heartbreaking scene involves him breaking down over the heartache and trouble he’s caused for so many people, and it’s beautifully subdued and nuanced. Goldblum is both charming and devious in his role, and it reminds the viewer how much gravitas the veteran character actor brings to the silver screen.

In technical terms, Chu’s film is a visual delight to behold. Cinematographer Alice Brooks offers a vast, sweeping look at Oz while keeping the focus on the performers front and centre. Myron Keratin’s editing keeps the movie flowing at a brisk, consistent pace throughout its 137 minute running time. It is a nice change from the first movie, which ran for almost three hours and seemed rather long at times. Much like the first movie, there are a number of callbacks and references to the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz. The opening title is written in a similar typeface of the MGM movie’s title card. Due to copyright reasons, the infamous shoes are silver in this adaptation, because the ruby shoes were an original invention by MGM. In a sly acknowledgement of Elphaba and Glinda, the Universal Pictures logo is rendered in both green and pink, which adds a nice touch. Fiyero’s horse that he rides in the film is curiously coloured blue, which hints at the “Horse of a Different Color” from the original film. Voiced by Colman Domingo, the Cowardly Lion does show up in the movie, and his name of “Brrr” is a reference to Lion actor Bert Lahr.

As is par for the course, Wicked: For Good makes a few minor changes for the film adaptation. Whereas they were simply mentioned in the stage show, Elphaba’s efforts in rebelling against the Wizard by liberating animals are depicted in full. It helps to reinforce the character’s original intentions and motivation to bring about change. Although Nessarose wanted to walk in the stage musical, this is changed to her wanting to fly in the film. Without giving away any spoilers, the Tin Man does feature in this movie, but his design is closer to the original Tin Man illustrations of Baum’s Oz novels with spindly legs and a less bulky design. This is probably to differentiate his look from the aluminum costume worn by Jack Haley in the 1939 film.

Yes, the character of Dorothy Gale does indeed appear in the movie. Played by Bethany Weaver, she is featured in a couple of scenes and does have some spoken lines. Contrary to popular belief that her face is not shown, Weaver’s face is shown in side profile and in a few wide shots. One interesting approach is having her kidnapping by the flying monkeys shown from Dorothy’s point-of-view. Curiously, she wears a blue and white dress that has some similarity to Judy Garland’s famous gingham ensemble in the 1939 film. Some people might question why bothering to featuring Dorothy in the story to begin with, but they are missing the point. Dorothy’s inclusion in this film helps expand the plot and depicts how she’s oblivious to the various machinations happening around her.

Two new songs have been composed for the film. “No Place Like Home”, co-written by Erivo and Schwartz, focuses on Elphaba contemplating why she chooses to stay in Oz rather than just leaving forever. The title itself is a callback to Dorothy’s famous final line in the 1939 movie.

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During an interview with Rolling Stone, Schwartz explained the track was composed for the film: “Although it has not been very good to her, it is her home, and all of her heart and soul wants to stay there, fight for it, and make it a better place. When you are born somewhere, that place becomes part of you, and you cannot really explain why.” The song is both vast and heartfelt in scope, and it is anchored by Erivo’s powerful vocals. Assuming the number is well-received, it could very well be nominated by the Academy of Motion Pictures and Sciences for Best Original Song. Next is “The Girl In The Bubble”, which serves as the penultimate number of the film. The song explores Glinda coming to terms with her role in the current regime and having to give up her privilege in order to do what’s right. In the same interview, Schwartz explained that “Glinda reaches a point of crisis where she just cannot continue to live the way she has been. She has been insulated from what is really going on, cutting off her own morality and sense of decency in order to have the trappings of what she thinks she wants. Finally, there is a moment where she must confront this.” The track is both a piece of character growth and a solid way of driving home the film’s message.

Overall, Wicked: For Good is a great film and worthy conclusion to the story. Erivo, Grande, Bailey, Slater, Goldblum, and Bode deliver gripping performances. The music is quite moving and epic in scope. L. Frank Baum would no doubt be pleased with this new cinematic take on the Oz mythos. Four out of four stars.