I am obsessed with the new Wicked: For Good movie. I loved it so much that I went and saw it twice. I watched it once on a normal screen and the second time in 4DX. So, after seeing the movie twice and talking with my theatre friends about it, here is my honest review of the film.

First, I will talk about castings. I think that the casting for Glinda and Elphaba was a perfect choice. The way that Ariana Grande’s and Cynthia Erivo’s voices blend is beautiful. I also think that their acting skills were wonderful. The portrayal of Glinda was exactly what I expected, yet it somehow surpassed my expectations at the same time. Ariana played Glinda as more of a complicated character rather than just a “blonde girl.” Being able to see all of the emotions she felt during certain scenes was beautiful. For example, in the scene where Madame Morrible was telling her about the wand and how to fake it. Yes, Glinda was happy with the wand and the bubble, but she was also upset about the fact that she couldn’t use real magic. I think that Ariana portrayed the depth of Glinda’s character really well. 

Now onto Elphaba, Cynthia Erivo did a wonderful job portraying this character, especially with her singing voice. I LOVED her version of No Good Deed. I thought it symbolized grief in a major way, not just grief for Fiyero, but also grief that she had lost the battle. This entire time, she was fighting for the animals to be back in Oz and to prove that Oz was the bad guy. When she realized that she could not fight for that anymore, she gave up and played the role of The Wicked Witch of the West. I think that Cynthia was a phenomenal casting choice for this role and would not have it any other way.

Now on to the other characters, Boq/Tinman, Fiyero/Scarecrow, Nessa/The Wicked Witch of the East, Madame Morrible, and The Wizard of Oz. I’m not going to sugarcoat it at all: the Tin Man reveal was probably the most terrifying reveal throughout the entire movie. The way that Ethan Slater portrayed the role was great. 

Fiyero, played by Jonathan Bailey, was fantastic. My guy! The character of Fiyero was so complex. He had to fake his love for Glinda, pretend that he hated The Wicked Witch of the West when he secretly loved Elphaba, and also go along with a proposal because he was told he was getting married even though he didn’t propose. I would be furious if someone just sprung a proposal on me in front of an entire crowd. I knew that he would become the Scarecrow based on the choreography in the first movie, but someone told the makeup artist that they did their BIG ONE with the scarecrow makeup.

For Madame Morrible, I’m sorry, y’all, but Michelle Yoeh can not sing. I tried to make an excuse for it, but there is none. She just can’t sing. But that’s ok. She can act really well. The fact that Madame Morrible was behind everything that happened in Oz and how she was able to manipulate everyone into thinking a certain way was fascinating to watch. Michelle Yoeh owned every scene she was in, and while I would have preferred someone who could sing, beggars can’t be choosers.

Now onto Nessarose/The Wicked Witch of the East. A lot of people said they didn’t understand why she was called a Wicked Witch, how it all happened so fast, and they needed to develop it more. For all of those people, I will set the record straight, when she forbade the munchkins from traveling without a permit because she wanted Boq to stay with her, she trapped them all. Not only did she do this because she had the power, but in doing so, she was also treating the munchkins like they were animals. This is why she was labeled The Wicked Witch of the East. So, now that that is cleared up, I’ll honestly say, I don’t like the Nessa. She was so selfish and mean-spirited. She never once considered her sister’s or anyone else’s feelings. Even though she was my least favorite character, I think Marissa Bode did a great job portraying the character for what she was. 

If I had to give the movie itself a rating, I would give it a solid 8/10. Even though Wicked: For Good was just the Wizard of Oz told from the perspective of the witches, I think it was very impactful to all of those theatre fans who had the longest intermission of their lives. One of my favorite things about this movie was the fact that Dorothy was faceless. I mean, we all know the story of the Wizard of Oz, so her face is not all that important. But the emphasis on her being faceless was a great addition to the film. I wonder what will be next for Ariana and Cynthia. Hopefully they will partner in another musical movie adaptation!