TL;DR
You should only watch this if you liked the first movie. If you didn’t like the first movie or didn’t give a toss toss … skip it.
Review of the movie (no spoilers)
The movie picks up right where it left off in part 1, with Madam Morrible and the Wizard leading the citizens of Oz to vilify Elphaba and cast her as “Wicked”. Both Elphaba and Glinda have left the relative safety of Shiz university, so the tone of this second film was definitely darker than the first. There were still a few light-hearted moments that harked back to the stage musical, but overall, it not as fun as the first movie.
It would have been fine if the story kept me hooked throughout, but I must admit the pace of the movie felt a bit slow at times. However, I don’t think it was necessarily the wrong choice, because it gave me more time with the characters which contributed to a more impactful climax at the end.
The film also featured two new songs that were not in the original Wicked stage musical. The new songs were alright, but they didn’t quite evoke the same feeling as the original songs. Part of it was nostalgia, so the songs might grow on me over time. But part of it felt like the songs were new squares sewn into an old quilt. I could almost see the seams where they had attempted to blend the new songs into the musical’s original score.
In terms of my favourite song, “For Good” definitely comes to mind. I believe many others will agree. I think it was more impactful because of the movie’s strong focus on the friendship. Compared to the musical, the movie had additional scenes that gave the story more detail. I think these extra moments allowed me to appreciate the overall story more.
Within the story, my attention was drawn most to the friendship between Elphaba and Glinda. In the movie, Glinda’s character was more fleshed out, with a solo song and a childhood flashback to boot. It pushed me to empathise with her a bit more and provided additional context to her tricky relationship with Elphaba. I think that directorial choice paid off and the ending was more satisfying because of it.
My honest thoughts (with spoilers)
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⚠️ This is your final warning, spoilers ahead for the movie and musical.
😍 The “Good”
No Place Like Home – A hopeful ballad by the oppressed
The movie featured two new songs written by Stephen Schwartz, the same person who wrote the songs in the original Wicked musical. The first song was No Place Like Home, an Elphaba solo performed by Cynthia Erivo. Elphaba sings this song as she tries to rally the animals to stay and fight for their place in Oz. The song expresses her hope to change her home for the better, despite resistance from the powers that be. I wasn’t wow-ed by the song but I appreciated the intention behind the lyrics.
The allegory was plain to me. The musical has American origins, so I was correct to assume that the lyrics were partially inspired by the internal turmoil in the United States in recent years (Source). The song made me consider the bigger themes in the story, particularly about power and oppression.
In my view (after some research), the main plot of Oz is that the Wizard, together with the magical help of Mdm Morrible, is seeking to retain his control over Oz. Why? I guess he just has an obsession with power. Mdm Morrible has the ability to control the weather and causes events like droughts. The droughts are then blamed on animals within the Oz community. These animals are made out to be second-class citizens, despite being originally part of the Oz community. Through this villainisation of animals, they create a clear distinction between “good” and “evil”. Scapegoats, if you will excuse the pun.
Girl in the Bubble – Leaving the sheltered life
The second new song was Girl in the Bubble, a Glinda solo performed by Ariana Grande. She sings this song after she realises that Mdm Morrible is the one who deliberately killed Nessarose to lure Elphaba out into the open (Source).
What captured me about this was not the song itself but the scene. I loved the camera work here as they went in and out of mirrors. It was so trippy but so fun! Symbolically, I felt like it mirrored (mind the pun, again!) Glinda’s process of looking inward. She is looking inside herself to decide what she really wants to do and the kind of person she wants to be.
Friendship
Disregarding all the memes online about Cynthia and Ariana’s friendship displays on the press tour, I agree that the friendship was put front and centre in this movie adaptation. Perhaps it was inevitable with these two magnetic actresses, but I’m sure the writers also had a part to play.
Love
Ah Jonathan Bailey. I loved him in Bridgerton Season 2 and I enjoyed his portrayal of Prince Fiyero here. Twice, he showed up to help Elphaba escape. The second time, when he was captured by the guards and he held up that gun to Glinda’s forehead, I think my heart stopped 😭 Never had I felt so much sympathy for Glinda until that moment.
I also loved the next song, No Good Deed, sung by Elphaba as she searched for a way to save Fiyero as she flipped through the Grimmerie. The despair and power of that song was so good.
🙊 The “Wicked”
Telling Telling Telling
I found that the movie did a lot of “telling” instead of “showing”, even though it is arguably easier to “show” in film than on stage. For example, Mdm Morrible’s culpability in killing Nessarose was already shown in the scene where she was conjuring up a tornado and we cut to Nessarose wheeling around in Munchkinland screaming for Boq in gale force winds (Absolutely bonkers decision by the way, I’d argue that her death was 40% her own fault. If she hadn’t been squashed by the house, she might have just gotten picked up by the tornado and flung somewhere.)
Another example is the reveal that the wizard was actually Elphaba’s father all along. The flashback was more than enough to show what really happened. But Glinda still said “she was yours all along”, which I felt was not necessary.
At the same time, as I write this, I recall Tommy Edison, the blind film critic, who had once reviewed the X-Men movies and was lost when it came to Mystique’s powers because they were completely visual. So I can see why a movie that has deep messages about inclusivity would want to ensure their movies are fully accessible, including people who are blind.
Ok, so I admit that on this point, I am of two minds.
But, tell me the ending though …
Ironically, I kind of wish they told me the ending instead of showing it. 😅
At the end of part two, Elphaba decides to run away with Fiyero and tells Glinda that she will have to learn how to read the Grimmerie as Oz is counting on her. At the end of the movie as well, we see that the Grimmerie seemed to be responding to Glinda, suggesting that Glinda might live up to her magical ambitions after all.
But in the first movie, Mdm Morrible and the wizard were really excited that Elphaba could read the Grimmerie. Even Mdm Morrible who had powers couldn’t read the Grimmerie. So how can Glinda “learn” to read it? I thought it was a skill that was innate, so this ending seemed contradictory.
But maybe I’m thinking too literally. If I look at it allegorically, the Grimmerie is supposed to be a book of magic and power. Power that can be used to help, but also potentially hurt, others. Maybe it wasn’t just Elphaba’s magic that allowed her to read the Grimmerie, it was the intention in her heart. Not to assume, but I believe her intentions were “good”, while Mdm Morrible and the wizard’s intentions were … not good.
If the intention is what counts, then that could explain why the Grimmerie started responding to Glinda at the end. If I had to interpret this for a class, I would say this shows that the ability to wield power will only pass to those who work hard for it and want it for the “right” reasons.
Mdm Morrible … ?
I swear I’m not trying to rage bait here but … I’m not sure if Michelle Yeo was the best choice for Mdm Morrible? Maybe it’s a testament to her star power but I just couldn’t see her as the character, I just saw her as “Michelle Yeo”. Additionally, I feel like putting her in a movie musical with Cynthia and Ariana was a … bold choice.
🥵 A list of random takes and unanswered questions
- Nessarose was super annoying and I could not understand her. That said, Boq was also an ass in movie one when he lied to Nessarose lol. So I guess neither of them were innocent victims.
- The cowardly lion made no sense to me, though this is not the fault of the movie, but the original musical. Why was the lion scared? I guess it was left to “fend for itself” after it was taken from its cage. I don’t know if there is anything to be interpreted, like how there are some of the marginalised who would prefer to live in oppressed conditions as opposed to being free? I don’t understand why the animals would turn on Elphaba just because of his testimony.
- Is Oz part of a different place or universe? I’m not entirely sure how the wizard could just hot air balloon himself out of Oz. Because for Elphaba to be “of two worlds”, that would suggest that there is no contact between the two worlds. So how is the wizard simply flying out if he has no magical powers either?
🤔 Food for thought
I remember reading somewhere that Elphaba was written to be a Black person in a predominantly White America. I am not part of that American cultural experience but I can draw it back to something more generic. The idea that Elphaba is an outsider.
I wonder if the end of the story is suggesting that the world cannot be changed through the uprising of the oppressed alone. Instead, it is the obligation and duty of the people in power to dismantle the system from the inside in service of the powerless.
Glinda had always been on the inside and she had the ability to dismantle the institutions of power that oppressed Elphaba. She did it in the first movie when she chose to accept Elphaba into her friend group in Shiz during the Ozdust, and all her posse followed suit. In the same way, at the end of the second film, Elphaba tasks Glinda to bring the animals back into the fold in Oz build a more inclusive community.
If you simply extend that metaphor to marginalised people in your community, you can see what the movie might be trying to say. Not to reduce the movie down to just one moral, but this does appear to be the main theme.
🐣 Homages to other works
The kneeling in As Long As You’re Mine were definitely an homage to the musical. I must admit that I’ve always felt it looked awkward both on stage and on screen. But I saw somewhere that it shows how they both “fell to their knees” for each other. I accept it, purely for the symbolism. Aesthetically, I preferred the flying that they added in the movie.
When I watched Glinda and Fiyero’s wedding scene, I thought it looked strikingly similar to the iconic wedding scene in Crazy Rich Asians. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that both movies were directed by Jon M Chu. Man’s so busy he has no time for a Crazy Rich Asians sequel. Fair enough, but I demand more Tan Kheng Hua and Pierre Png on the global stage.
BONUS: Overall song ranking
No context needed.
Thanks for reading 💜