Movie review: They should have called it ‘Wicked: Not Good’

Going into Wicked last year my main concern was the seemingly bloated running time of the first of two stage-to-screen adaptations of the smash Broadway musical The first film clocked in at roughly the time it would take to see the live show and it was only half of the story Selected minutes later I exposed myself fully immersed in this reimagined world of Oz It was full of resource and life and I was ready and waiting for my return trip But after sitting through a screening of Wicked For Good which opens in theaters Friday I couldn t wait for it to end It s dark gloomy and utterly lacking in mirth It s hard to believe the same crew made both movies which they filmed concurrently That plus it s in fact minutes shorter than the first yet comes across as a seemingly endless slog Based on the novel Wicked The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West the musical take wowed audiences from the very beginning It retells the classic tale through the eyes of schoolmates Elphaba Thropp Cynthia Erivo and Galinda Upland Ariana Grande a pair of friends rivals who ultimately become the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Wicked the film offers a series of terrific songs and eye-popping dance sequences that culminate with the show s signature tune Defying Gravity the rare modern Broadway number that determined success beyond the stage Wicked For Good meanwhile comes across like a bad hangover with depressed and depressing characters and situations and one of the bleakest happy endings around The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Jeff Goldblum at his Jeff Goldblumiest has transformed the land into an authoritarian state with the help of sorceress Madame Morrible Michelle Yeoh and his army of enslaved winged monkeys Still Galinda is poised to marry a prince Fiyero Tigelaar People magazine s current Sexiest Man Alive Jonathan Bailey a move she hopes will inspire the people of Oz As for Elphaba she s become general enemy number one thanks to her efforts to free the aforementioned flying monkeys and all of the other animals the Wizard of Oz has attempted to silence The second act of a musical should in theory build on the strengths of the first and bring the story together in a satisfying and timely manner Wicked For Good instead drags things out with lengthy and repetitive scenes The songs aren t as strong either and the two new ones add little to the proceedings While the source material for all of this is definitely not for kids the musical and the films in particular are marketed toward a wide audience of all ages But parents should be warned that Wicked For Good may be too dark and mature for specific youngsters At times it s even scary For unknown reasons director Jon M Chu somehow makes two sequences of liberation utterly joyless Erivo and Grande make the most of of what they ve got Erivo is a magnetic persona with a magical voice and she shines through the muck And just like in the first installment Grande knows her assignment and imbues Galinda with the perfect combination of charm and a deceiving aura of empty headedness Also the film s witty and cutting portrayal of Dorothy Gale offers specific much-needed laughs But in the end Wicked For Good squanders its predecessor s strengths and overstays its welcome What a disappointment Wicked For Good Directed by Jon M Chu Starring Cynthia Erivo Ariana Grande Jonathan Bailey Michelle Yeoh Jeff Goldblum Rated PG for action thematic material and brief suggestive material Should you go You re better off rewatching the first one stars Related Articles Movie review The Running Man a dystopian satire sprinting at full speed Movie review Now You See Me Now You Don t a diverting sleight of hand Movie review Russell Crowe and Rami Malek face off in the Nazi trial drama Nuremberg Movie review Lynne Ramsay s Die My Love a primal scream of maternal rage Movie review Anniversary a character analysis of creeping fascism