Wicked for Good
Great voices, stunning visuals, and very little that stands up to scrutiny.
Yes, we usually review books here, but I just saw Wicked for Good with my kids, and you might be doing that soon, so if you are, here’s what you’re heading for in part two of the reimagined backstory of the Wizard of Oz.
When I was a teenager, I had a movie concept that I enjoyed thinking about: what if you did a feature length movie in the style of a preview? A preview communicates a ton of information about the plot in just a few minutes. If you had two hours of that, you could tell a truly epic story, like The Iliad. It’s a fun and ultimately ridiculous concept. It skips over character development, mood setting, and the moments in movies where relationships marinate and soak in emotional gravity. Also, with so much plot, it gets hard to keep things tight while accounting for everything going on with your characters, and inevitably you gloss over some big moments.
Anyway, Wicked for Good is basically that, plus a bunch of songs.
The story only slows down for the songs, and we spend no time at all learning things like why Nessarose is terrible now, why Bok suddenly wants to leave her (and what was their relationship in the first place?), do the people of Oz still fear animals, or is that just not a part of the plot we’re going to put any investment in? What do Elphaba and Galinda actually want? And does Galinda have some defined role in Oz beyond “beloved public figure?”
I could go on, but I’ll save you the spoilers. The only reveals in that paragraph happen in the first 15 minutes or so, and that’s a fraction of what gets established in that time.
There are also some very convenient character changes that don’t really fit with what we know about that character, but move the story toward its conclusion while providing an alternate history of the Wizard of Oz. Mostly. The Wicked movies (and presumably the book, which I haven’t read), take care to bring in all of the key characters and plot elements from the Wizard of Oz, often providing an alternate backstory, but skip over or contradict a bunch of details that don’t fit with the narrative. Which is fine, if ironic, seeing as Wicked for Good definitely assumes its viewers are familiar with the source material and the first Wicked movie.
Am I saying don’t see it? Nah, you can see it. If you liked the first one, you’ll enjoy this one enough, and the same goes for kids. There’s a little violence and a little romance in it, but nothing that’s likely to be nightmare-inducing or scandalizing. It’s a feast for the eyes, with many excellent visual metaphors. The music itself is mostly forgettable, but it’s fine, and the two leads have great voices. There’s plenty to enjoy for its merits and to make fun of as you watch. Oh, and if you didn’t see the first one, parts of this won’t make a lot of sense, but you’ll catch on quickly enough. I have many of the same complaints about the first one, but it’s a cleaner narrative (partly because it leaves some of the more awkward puzzle piece fitting for the second movie) and the music is better.
All of that said, what really lingers with me after both Wickeds, is that this story has a really dim view of human nature and society. The people of Oz are treated by most of the main characters as gullible morons, and they do nothing to dispel that idea. There are redemptive arcs in this story, but not for society itself. There is some interesting commentary about how people with mostly good values still end up being cruel and deceitful once put in power because they’re afraid what people will think of them, but that concept, like so many things in this movie, only gets a few scattered lines of dialogue. There are, by my count, two human characters who are likable and have good values throughout the movie. Actually, that number is one or zero if I’m being a stickler.
A quick word about the original Oz book, it’s a very different story from any of the movies it inspired, but it’s good and much more obviously allegorical than the films. It’s general style and ethos feels much more Wizard of Oz than Wicked, but it’s not especially similar to either. It has some good conversation starter moments, and is among the more entertaining books you’ll read about 19th century monetary policy.