Fans have been patiently waiting since Wicked dropped last summer for its second part. Finally, we get to see the sequel and see yet again Cynthia Erivo starring as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Glinda. Wicked: For Good left fans spellbound with its stunning visuals, catchy music, and heart-wrenching performances, and truly touched the souls of many. Now, we’re getting a glimpse into the reality of the two main characters as the witches we all know and love from the original Wizard of Oz. We’ve seen the story many times through Dorothy’s eyes; however, now we get to see it through the witches’ eyes, which is a refreshing point of view that isn’t as common.
Wicked: For Good starts with a time jump, which I believe is a good creative starting point. I like that choice because we see Glinda and Elphaba as the Good Witch and Wicked Witch that we were all so familiar with in Wizard of Oz! Even though there’s tension between the people of Oz and Elphaba, we still see how Glinda and Elphaba are great friends. When Glinda was about to get married, Elphaba came to see her on her wedding day to wish her good luck, which was a really sweet touching moment because Elphaba was a wanted fugitive and she still came to see her best friend before her wedding.
Glinda and Elphaba have so many funny moments that truly show you the depth of their friendship. A really funny example is when Elphaba and Glinda got into a little fight, it was very funny since you could clearly see how neither one of them wanted to actually hurt the other and it was more like a joking play fighting way, which really shows the level of friendship and connection they have. They truly are great friends that cherish each other, and while it makes sense for Elphaba since Glinda is her first and only friend, however Glinda had so many friends yet she loves her the most. It really shows you that they are platonic soulmates since she had many friends and followers in her life.
Arianna and Cynthia truly did an amazing job with their acting as a whole. Arianna had so many funny moments that had made the whole audience laugh. When Elphaba and Glinda had a small little sibling brawl it was very funny because Ariana portrayed Glinda hilariously when she was getting ready to fight Elphaba and even then mocked Elphaba’s “Witch”-like cackle, which had the entire audience laughing. However, Arianna isn’t the only incredible actor, Cynthia had so many sombre moments that had the audience lean forward in their seats like when she sang “No Good Deed.” The scene where she was screaming Fiyero’s name as she watched as he was taken and beaten really was emotional and had everyone clutching their chairs, waiting in anticipation to see what was going to happen next.
However, their fantastic performance doesn’t stop there, their singing and onscreen chemistry are something to marvel at too. They are both so vocally stable even at high notes, which makes sense for Arianna since she’s known for this, but Cynthia was amazing. When Cynthia was singing “No Good Deed” and hit that high note during the Fiyero part, it was absolutely amazing. Me and all my friends have been trying to recreate it with no avail.
The movie was so good. I honestly loved it when we saw the background of the main cast from the Wizard of Oz! I found it so fun and amazing to see how the Scarecrow, the Cowardly Lion, and the Tin Man came to be in Oz. Especially knowing the political stance of Oz from the first movie, I was really curious to see how those characters were going to be introduced and seeing it was really eye-opening when compared to The Wizard of Oz. This movie was an amazing ending to the overall story. Leaving the movie, I felt very touched. I was both happy and sad. I loved seeing Glinda and Elphaba’s friendship evolve throughout the movie. I was sad knowing something about Elphaba that Glinda will never know.
Coming from a person who wasn’t a fan of Wicked before the movie came out, they covered everything that I was questioning in the first movie! They confirmed my theory of Elphaba’s powers and her father, the background of the Lion and the origin of the cyclone that killed the Witch of the East. It was an amazing conclusion! I love that it was able to expand the world of Oz so much and we got to see how the characters were portrayed so well and brought to life. It really just makes you sympathize and love them as if they were real people. Also, upon further research, there is still more of the Wicked story to tell. There’s a part where the main character is Elphaba’s son, and I hope that they decide to make an adaptation to that story too, but only time will tell!
