Did Wicked Really Need to Be Broken Into Two Movies?
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Thoughts on why Wicked: For Good was not part of the original film
Wicked: For Good has finally arrived. As a musical lover, I was skeptical of the first Wicked film, yet I ended up really enjoying it after some spoilers popped up on social media. You know which one I’m talking about; the famous “Defying Gravity” scene that made its rounds on Tiktok for weeks, if not months.
I fell in love instantly with that moment, just like everyone else. And then I knew that I HAD to see it. Once I was able to watch the full movie, I was pleasantly surprised. It was good! I wasn’t going to miss the next one in theaters, that was for sure.
Then, it hit me right before I left for the theaters to see Wicked: For Good… “can this really top the first movie?” I thought to myself. I had my doubts, but was optimistic to be impressed once again. My optimism did not pay off, as I suspected, the second part of the film was not as good as the first for me.
This isn’t to say that Wicked: For Good is a bad movie. The first film just came in so strong from beginning to end that it ultimately ended up being a very tough act to follow.
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Wicked Follows The Musical Formula
Like many musicals, Wicked follows a formula where one the strongest songs comes right before the intermission of the show; and the musical ends with an emotionally traumatizing beautiful song. The “Epic Act I Finales,” as the theater folks like to put it, quite often ends up being the most popular moment of the musical.
I had to sit back and think about how many of the musicals that I love follow this same formula. Dream Girls has the amazing “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” before ending the musical with the tearjerking version of “Dream Girls Finale.” Rent’s wild “La Vie Bohème" brings the first act to a close before ending the musical with the very emotional “Finale B.”
So this was Wicked’s plan too- wow us with “Defying Gravity” and then break us emotionally at the end with “For Good.” It’s a solid plan, no doubt, but for some reason I feel that it would’ve pulled me in more if it was all completed in one film.
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Wicked: For Good is a Continuation, Not a Sequel
It was an interesting choice for Wicked to break the film into two parts. This isn’t common with musicals that are converted into films, without the second film actually being a sequel. So no, this isn’t the same as The Lion King 2 or Grease 2 (Alexa, play “Cool Rider”).
Why was this decision made? Based on the run times, this likely gave more room for backstory developments than the Broadway musical. Apparently, there are even two additional songs featured in Wicked: For Good that are not in the stage adaptation.
Let’s also not pretend that this wasn’t a good money-making decision. Although not particularly common with musicals, we’ve seen movies do this before. I’m staring at you Harry Potter, Twilight, and Hunger Games. I’m also going to call out one of my super faves, Dune. I’m sure the decision makers knew that making these legendary films stretch out into two part movies would bring in both the audience and the big bucks.
Wicked has to be raking it in. I’ve seen Wicked collabs from clothes and makeup down to the green and pink popcorn at AMC theaters.
Courtesy of Lego
Wicked Dared to Be Both Nostalgic and New
Wicked has some die hard fans, that’s for sure. It did something special for moviegoers that we haven’t seen in quite some time. There’s the nostalgic side of going to the theaters to see fantasy epics such as Harry Potter, but there’s also the other side of it being a fantasy musical. The only other fantasy musicals that I can think of that aren’t Disney animations are Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and the 1939 Wizard of Oz.
Wicked brought us back to the world of Oz with a new perspective full of gorgeous eye-popping cinematography, songs that loop through our minds and spirits, and a story that will make us rethink everything that we knew about Oz. It is truly one of a kind.
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So, did Wicked really need to be separated into two films? Probably not, but in the end it was worth it. The Wicked films have been a cultural moment that will be remembered throughout time.
Cynthia owns the role of Elphaba now, and Ariana made me love Glinda (and pink) even more than I did from The Wizard of Oz. Although the second part of the film didn’t move me as much as the first film, I loved the experience of this entire two-part saga. It has been quite a journey and I’m hopeful that we can get more of this perspective of Oz in the future. Wicked has surely left its mark For Good ;).