Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo are somehow even better in Wicked: For Good

The most anticipated film of the year – for the second year in a row – Wicked: For Good has big ruby red slippers to fill, but that daunting challenge is handled with aplomb.

We dive straight back into the action with the building of the Yellow Brick Road. Time has passed, with Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) established in exile while Glinda (Ariana Grande) is given her ‘vehicular spherical globule’ (e.g. bubble) to continue her ambassadorial job for Oz as the beloved ‘good’ witch under the watchful eye of Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh).

The film begins strongly with the one-two musical punch of No One Mourns the Wicked / Thank Goodness, but we’re still treated to riffs and references from the previous film to re-establish audience excitement, given that we were left on the phenomenal high of Defying Gravity.

This is, of course, a lot to live up to – and while Wicked: For Good has its work cut out to match the triumph of part one, what is never in question are the performances of its exquisite leading ladies.

Erivo and Grande are, somehow, even better in this second movie, despite having left no room for improvement last time.

They nail their characters’ songs once more, but they also have deeper emotional ground to mine as their friendship is tested further than ever.

I could see rare second-time Oscar nominations for the same roles – although Grande perhaps edges it for me in the way her role, and therefore performance, grows in nuance and poignancy. We peek into Glinda’s childhood to see the reassurance her mother offers that speaks volumes: ‘Everybody loves you and that’s all you’ll ever need’.

Wicked: For Good does well to seamlessly fill in the cracks of the weaker second act of the show, especially when a big screen adaptation leaves far less room for suspension of disbelief – and nowhere to hide.

It’s evident that director Jon M Chu understands this material inside out, interpreting it, extending it, and improving it alongside credited screenwriters Winnie Holzman (who wrote the original musical book) and Dana Fox.

Fiyero and Glinda’s sudden engagement is presented as the Wizard’s idea, while the happy couple get a moment to discuss their feelings and concerns over Elphaba in the immediate aftermath in a way that sells it just a smidge more.

Nessarose (Marissa Bode) is now the governor of Munchkinland in the wake of her and Elphaba’s father’s death, while Oz and beyond is being plastered with anti-Elphaba – now officially ‘the Wicked Witch’ – propaganda by Morrible, and the animals are fleeing thanks to the Wizard’s ongoing scapegoating campaign.

We also move seamlessly into glimpses of Dorothy’s side of Oz lore, dovetailing neatly with Elphaba’s parallel story while discovering the origins of the Cowardly Lion, the Tin Man, and the Scarecrow.

But the film’s real highlights are – no surprise – the songs No Good Deed and For Good, with Erivo able to draw spontaneous applause with the former: I defy you to resist rewarding such a barnstorming performance.

Meanwhile, her and Grande pour their all into their final duet together, For Good, taking in everything their relationship – now rich and tender – has put them through, including an earlier physical fistfight. Their declarations of love are the movie’s most moving moment.

New songs Girl in the Bubble and No Place Like Home also prove welcome additions to a second film that needed a musical boost, although I’d argue they end up stunning character moments over stand-out song offerings; I can see Girl in the Bubble as Grande’s Oscar sizzle clip already, she performs it with such care and delicateness. And There’s No Place Like Home is a sweet and haunting ballad for Erivo that builds to something more stirring.

Jonathan Bailey is a tiny bit wasted as Fiyero in For Good, with his singing only heard in As Long As You’re Mine, his duet with Elphaba, which happens to be the film’s cheesiest and most unabashedly musical theatre moment – it’s the only time I felt the film was slightly awkward.

Jeff Goldblum, however, continues to shine as the Wizard, his mix of whimsy and edge making him the perfect fit as a dodgy showman. He transforms another song that has previously been a skip for me – Wonderful – into one of the film’s most enjoyable sequences.

Wicked: For Good is darker and more narratively complex than the first film, having to work harder to explain plot development and people’s connections. It does do a good job of maintaining momentum and excitement, though, to Chu’s credit.

The musical arrangement also does its darndest to elevate the material in the second act so it truly couldn’t sound better, which helps excuse that slight lacking when compared to part one.

It’s always a challenge to match a perfect first act, but the care for – and understanding of – Wicked: For Good by its creative team is truly impressive. It falls headfirst into its theatricality, going deeper and darker with its emotions in a way that allows Erivo and Grande to top even what they delivered last time.

Wicked: For Good is in cinemas from Friday, November 21.

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