It’s been one year since part 1 of Wicked, the live-action adaptation of the famous Broadway musical of the same name. The first film was an awe-inspiring spectacle with powerful performances, breathtaking visuals, colourful characters, and catchy songs that play in your head for ages.

The Wizard of Oz film from 1939 is still one of the greatest films of all time, and even though there’s no direct connection to the Wicked film, it was still interesting to see things from the perspective of the Wicked Witch of the West. The character of Elphaba has easily become one of Cynthia Erivo’s most iconic roles, but she wasn’t afraid to share the spotlight with the likes of Ariana Grande, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, and more, reprising their roles along with Jon M. Chu back in the director’s chair in Wicked: For Good, now soaring its way into cinemas worldwide.

Picking up right after the events of the first film, Elphaba, now known as the Wicked Witch of the West, continues her fight for animal rights and tries to expose the Wizard. At the same time, Glinda (formerly Galinda) becomes Glinda the Good and a public symbol of the new regime. Elphaba and Glinda have since become estranged friends who must face the consequences of their choices, with events such as the arrival of Dorothy Gale testing their fractured relationship and altering the fate of Oz.

Cynthia Erivo returns to her famous role of Elphaba Thropp, the Wicked Witch of the West. In the first film, she shows many insecurities, but now she is someone not to be messed with. She makes an epic entrance at the beginning of the film, giving it a superhero-movie feel.

She has shown plenty of character development, now with more confidence than before and isn’t afraid to take matters into her own hands. Cynthia puts on another strong performance as she soars through the skies on her broom and belts out those tunes.

Ariana Grande reprises her role of Glinda Upland, now with the title of Glinda the Good. While everyone fears Elphaba, Glinda is adored by the people of Oz, complicating their relationship. Glinda struggles to maintain her friendship with Elphaba while also protecting her public image, knowing Elphaba’s true intentions but keeping them secret from everyone else. She has the same over-the-top, ditzy personality from the first film, but has matured a lot since.

The relationship between Elphaba and Glinda is complicated. In the first film, they did not get along at all because of their different personalities and lifestyles, but they slowly grew fond of each other and formed an unlikely friendship. In the sequel, their friendship has become strained, and even when they disagree, it’s clear they still care deeply for each other. Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande had amazing chemistry on screen in the original film, and they carry that over in the sequel while also showcasing plenty of character development.

The way they’re presented on screen together plays a big role in the concepts of good and evil, light and dark, happiness and sadness, and so on. Anytime they’re on screen together, it’s always intriguing to see how they interact with each other and react to each other. Elphaba doesn’t have much reason to smile, so when she actually does, it becomes something special; even the subtle smirk creates an emotional moment.

Meanwhile, Glinda seemingly has the perfect life with everything she could ever want, and she brings in a lot of comedy to balance out the doom and gloom feel of Elphaba. Anytime they share the screen, they create magic (no pun intended), especially when things get physical, which is a big highlight of the film. Their shared scenes alone make this film worth watching, but the rest of the cast get their big moments as well.

Also reprising their roles are Jeff Goldblum as the Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible, Marissa Bode as Nessarose Thropp, Ethan Slater as Boq Woodsman and Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero Tigelaar, just to name a few. Various new (or familiar) characters also join the cast. We won’t be able to go into detail about their roles in the sequel, given how plot-heavy their scenes are, but we can say they each play their part in some of the film’s biggest moments.

The first film had a mostly bright, colourful tone, even with the main protagonist, who was portrayed as a villain in another story. It also explored some darker themes when Elphaba discovered some

shocking secrets, and the sequel leans more into that side. The overall presentation goes with a darker tone compared to the original film, now that we know what those secrets are, and Elphaba takes it upon herself to try and expose them, which, of course, won’t be easy since most of the people believe that she is evil and would likely believe she was behind it. Not everything is doom and gloom. Glinda provides plenty of bright colours and comedy to lighten the mood, which also plays into the contrast between the two main characters.

Being a musical, there is no shortage of songs to enjoy. Ariana Grande does what she does best, but Cynthia Erivo once again takes centre stage with her powerful performances. The sequel features different songs from the first film and again leans more toward the film’s darker tone. The songs are more tragic this time, but are just as important to their respective scenes in the overall story.

If comparing the two films, many would prefer the original with its high energy, bright colours, and very special cameos that fans of the famous stage show it’s based on would appreciate. The stage show, however, was one whole story, whereas the live-action adaptation is split into two films that together make one whole story. The two films flesh out the characters further and add more elements from Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West.

The darker tone of the sequel won’t be for everyone, with how different they are from each other, but this also plays into the film’s theme and concept of light and dark. Just like that concept, one cannot exist without the other, and it’s best to see both films as one whole story. The events of the sequel also overlap with specific events of the Wizard of Oz story, providing plenty of fan service. The main story of Wicked was to see things from the perspective of the Wicked Witch of the West, and the sequel goes deeper into that aspect.

2024’s Wicked created an awe-inspiring spectacle, while the sequel goes deeper into the dark side of Oz. It’s a big change that not everyone will like, but it’s the natural progression of the film that plays into its light-and-dark concept.

Cynthia Erivo delivers yet another powerful and emotional performance, Ariana Grande also gets her moments to shine, and the two show plenty of character development and have some of the best on-screen chemistry, with many memorable moments. The rest of the cast all get their big moments too, which greatly impact the overall story. Wicked: For Good is the epic conclusion to an epic story.

Written by: Sammy Hanson