Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo return in overlong but extravagant sequel
FILM
Bad: For Good ★★★½
(PG) 137 minutes
We finally dropped Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba Bad shortly after episode one reveals Jeff Goldblum’s The Wizard of Oz to be a dictatorial spoof. In retaliation, she was branded an evil witch and forced to flee to the western regions of Oz; Meanwhile, her friend Glinda (Ariana Grande) remained there, unable to convince Elphaba to make peace with the former tyrant.
When we catch up with them again, Elphaba is still plotting her downfall. From her hideout in the forest, she travels around on her magical broomstick and launches lightning attacks at various targets.
Ariana Grande stars as Glinda, Oz’s official cheerleader, in Wicked: For Good. Credit: access point
Glinda, on the other hand, has just received a new personal transportation vehicle; a magic balloon in which the kingdom floats in the role of official cheerleader. At the suggestion of the Wizard’s propaganda expert, Machiavellian Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh), she persuades a reluctant Prince Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey) to become engaged to her.
I was already convinced by director Jon M. Chu’s decision to expand the stage show by stretching its narrative across two feature films. In the first, the story flowed more evenly, tutorial stretches and mood swings were toned down, and all the characters in the cluttered cast were given their rightful place.
Wicked: For Good stars Ariana Grande as Glinda and Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba.Credit: Universal Movies
The environment was also impressive. Chu’s designers had created an exaggerated, candy-colored world rescued from mere beauty by witty touches of self-parody. And Grande made a similar point, bringing wide-eyed screwball comedy to Glinda’s arrogance.
The second part continues in the same way, but familiarity has dulled the sense of curiosity. You also need to do some homework to deal with the twists and turns of the plot. As always, there’s a lot going on.
Let’s start with the serious stuff. In episode one, the Wizard stripped Oz’s animals of their rights by robbing them of their ability to speak, and things got even worse.
