Wicked: For Good
Came out; 2025
Time; 2 hours 17 Minutes
Watched: Peacock
Rated: PG for action/violence, some suggestive material and thematic material
IMDB Rating; 6.7/10
Rotten Tomatoes:
Tomato Meter 66%
Popcorn Meter 92%
Caution; Spoiler Alert
Staring;
Cynthis Erivo as Elphaba
Ariana Grande as Glinda
Jeff Goldblum as The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible
Jonathon Bailey as Fiyero
Ethan Slater as Boq
Marissa Bode as Nessarosa
Story Line;
After challenging the Wizard's totalitarian regime in Oz, Elphaba must grapple with her identity as the "Wicked Witch of the West." Meanwhile, the Wizard has given Glinda the title "Glinda the Good" and a public status as the nation's defender against Elphaba. The two witches must make decisions that seal their fates in this second musical installment.
Thoughts:
I actually liked this one better than the first. I just wasn't thrilled with the first one and I'm not sure what exactly it was.
This was more movie than theater so maybe that's the difference, there was less singing which I'm a fan of musicals.
The costume design is amazing!
CAUTION; Spoiler Alert
Five
years after defying the Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Elphaba Thropp, who
has been branded and is now widely known as the Wicked Witch of the
West by Madame Morrible, continues to battle for Animal rights from a
forest hideout. The political landscape of Oz is also fully
established. Meanwhile, Glinda Upland has become the Wizard's
spokesperson and is engaged to Fiyero Tigelaar, who is now the
Captain of the Gale Force. During Oz's celebration of the Yellow
Brick Road's grand opening, Fiyero reveals that he's attempting to
find Elphaba, but Glinda insists Elphaba doesn't want to be
found.
Whilst hiding in the western forest, Elphaba encounters
some animals leaving Oz, including her former caretaker and nanny
Dulcibear. She encourages them to fight against the Wizard. The
Cowardly Lion exposes her as the reason for the Wizard's flying
monkey spies and blames her for his cowardice after she freed him as
a cub. Elphaba visits her younger sister Nessrose, who is now the
governor of Munchkinland following their father's death. Nessa
prohibits the Munchkins and her servant Boq from leaving without her
approval to prevent Boq from abandoning her. Nessa complains to
Elphaba about her not using magic to make her feel better. This
prompts Elphaba to enchant Nessa's silver shoes, which give her the
ability to fly. However, this convinces Boq to believe Nessa no
longer needs him so he attempts to leave after learning of Glinda and
Fiyero's wedding. Nessa becomes enraged and attempts to cast a love
spell from the Grimmerie, but it fails after she reads the words
wrong, causing his heart to shrink. Elphaba attempts to save him but
ends up turning him into a tin man.
Elphaba returns to the
Emerald City to free the Wizard's monkey slaves but is caught by the
Wizard. He and Glinda convince her to join him. She accepts under the
condition that the flying monkeys will be freed. One of the monkeys,
Chistery, reveals several imprisoned Animals in the Wizard's lair,
including Dr Dillamond, who has lost his ability to speak. Elphaba
strongly states her resolve to fight the Wizard and frees the
Animals, interrupting Glinda and Fiyero's wedding in the process.
Fiyero decides to help Elphaba escape and joins her. This devastates
Glinda. She concludes they are having an affair and decides to
suggest to both Morrible and the Wizard to lure out Elphaba by
spreading a rumor that Nessa is in danger. After she leaves, Morrible
instead proposes "a change in the weather."
In
Elphaba's forest hideout, she and Fiyero confess their mutual love
for each other. When Morrible realizes a simple rumor would not fool
Elphaba, she creates a tornado that takes a house from Kansas, which
fatally crushes Nessa. Elphaba senses that Nessarose is in danger and
leaves. Fiyero lets her use an abandoned castle his family owns,
called Kiamo Ko for shelter.
Glinda gives Nessa's shoes to the
house's resident, Dorothy Gale and sends her to the Wizard via Yellow
Brick Road, promising that he can help her get home. Elphaba angrily
confronts Glinda, starting a fight before the Gale Force arrives.
Fiyero intervenes and holds back the guards by threatening to kill
Glinda, who finally accepts that he loves Elphaba. He is dragged into
a field by the guards and savagely beaten while Elphaba escapes with
the monkeys.
Elphaba and the monkeys escape to Kiamo Ko, where
she casts a spell from the Grimmerie to save Fiyero. She believes she
is failing and laments all her previous failed attempts to do things
right, so she decides to embrace herself as the Wicked Witch of the
West. Back at the Emerald City, Dorothy and her companions, Boq the
Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion and a Scarecrow meet the Wizard. He
instructs them to kill Elphaba and bring back her broomstick. Boq
rallies the citizens of the Emerald City to form an angry mob against
Elphaba. Glinda realizes that it was Morrible who created the tornado
and laments that her public image is based on lies. She confronts
Morrible who tells her that she's just as responsible because she's
been on the Wizard's side to be a beloved figure, making Glinda feel
remorseful. Realizing she must do the right thing, Glinda rushes to
Kiamo Ko to warn Elphaba about the mob.
Elphaba catches and
imprisons Dorothy to get the shoes back when Glinda arrives. After
Elphaba is warned of the mob and after Chistery informs her and
Glinda of Fiyero's apparent death, she decides to surrender,
promising Glinda not to tell anyone what truly happened and gives her
the Grimmerie. The two tearfully say goodbye. Glinda hides and
watches from the shadows as Dorothy throws a bucket of water over
Elphaba, melting her. Chistery, who has his voice back, leads Glinda
to the bottle of green elixir which belonged to Elphaba's mother and
what Elphaba showed her back at Shiz.
Glinda confronts the
Wizard with the elixir. This causes him to realize that he is
Elphaba's biological father and the reason for her powers. Distraught
and ashamed of his actions, he leaves Oz via hot air balloon after
being forced to by Glinda. She becomes Oz's new leader and allows the
monkeys to arrest Morrible for her crimes. She also finishes telling
her story to the Munchkins and reestablishes Animal rights, as
Elphaba would have wanted. This results in them getting their voices
back. Meanwhile Fiyero, who is now a Scarecrow due to Elphaba's spell
and who joined Dorothy on her quest to the Wizard, arrives at Kiamo
Ko, at the same place where Elphaba melted. He knocks on the floor
and opens a trapdoor. He discovers Elphaba inside, who faked her
death to ensure that no one in Oz will ever see her again. The two
leave Oz together while the Grimmerie opens up for Glinda.
Sources
IMBD
Rotten Tomatoes
Wikipedia
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