Just lately, I noticed an article noting that, solely a yr faraway from “Depraved,” the primary half of Jon M. Chu’s blockbuster adaptation of the beloved musical, Common was scaling again their advertising and marketing push for half two. The logic was easy: anybody who is aware of “Depraved” is already displaying up for the much-hyped conclusion, “Depraved: For Good.” The fact, nonetheless, is a little more difficult. Audiences who aren’t deeply accustomed to the musical, or who, like me, noticed it as soon as and forgot key plot parts, are going to be reminded in a short time that Act II of the Stephen Schwartz behemoth doesn’t ship the identical show-stopping bravado as “Defying Gravity” or the poppy, upbeat jolt of “Fashionable.” In different phrases, the present is front-loaded, and the film inherits that imbalance.
Which suggests “Depraved: For Good” wants extra substance below the hood to maintain a two-hour movie, and it quietly raises the query of whether or not Hollywood obtained too grasping by splitting the story into two films. The weaker parts of Act II, particularly the absence of musical bangers (regardless of the filmmakers attempting so as to add some contemporary additions to {the catalogue}), really feel much more uncovered on the large display screen. As an alternative, “Depraved: For Good” leans right into a somber, character-driven journey. For probably the most half, that works, but the surprisingly lackluster visible results (particularly in the course of the standout ballad “No Good Deed”) go away the movie feeling oddly deflated simply when it must soar. It’s attempting arduous to recreate the cultural lightning strike of half one, however lightning not often strikes twice.
What does work right here, unsurprisingly, is what labored earlier than: Ariana Grande’s plucky Glinda (Gah-linda) and Cynthia Erivo’s green-skinned Elphaba. These iconic “Wizard of Oz” characters are the beating coronary heart of this saga, and each actresses had been born to play them. Grande is pleasant and emotionally grounded, and Erivo stays a powerhouse vocalist who will nearly definitely be again within the awards dialog.
The story picks up 5 years after half one, inserting the previous finest associates on reverse sides of Oz’s political divide. Elphaba needs to show the Wizard, performed once more with an enthralling daftness by Jeff Goldblum, even when his vocals and dance abilities don’t fairly match the stage model. In the meantime, Oz’s propaganda machine has turned Elphaba right into a public menace, plastering cities with fear-mongering posters and rumors that paint her as a magical monster.
This angle provides the movie a sharper political edge than its predecessor. It additionally fills in gaps main as much as the occasions of “The Wizard of Oz,” and to Chu’s credit score, he enhances that basic story with out attempting to remake it. The film ultimately aligns with the well-known narrative beats, although Dorothy by no means seems, and watching the Tin Man, Scarecrow, and Cowardly Lion emerge from sudden circumstances is genuinely enjoyable. Their motivations for searching Elphaba are much more difficult than the unique movie ever implied, and a second like Elphaba’s “I’m off to see the Wizard” lands with the identical theater-kid thrill as Steve Rogers saying, “Avengers Assemble.”
Nonetheless, the emotional core of “Depraved: For Good” is the fractured bond between Glinda and Elphaba. Their climactic duet “For Good,” the movie’s namesake, hits the precise sentimental excessive be aware audiences anticipate, and I doubt there shall be many dry eyes within the theater. However by that time, the film’s pacing points and narrative bloat make it arduous to disregard how a lot pressure the two-part construction locations on a narrative that already labored inside a three-hour Broadway runtime.
The expanded format permits for extra character beats, and it units up a “Harry Potter”-styled magical showdown between Glinda and Elphaba in Munchkinland, however whole cinematic sagas (suppose “Goodfellas” or “Pulp Fiction”) have managed to cowl sweeping timelines in a single sitting. In the meantime, the supporting solid will get caught with materials that appears like padding. Jonathan Bailey’s smoldering Fiyero, Michelle Yeoh’s fierce Madame Morrible, Marissa Bode’s Nessarose Thrope, and Ethan Slater’s Boq Woodman all give dedicated performances, however a lot of their songs really feel like obligations moderately than necessities. Everyone seems to be doing the work, however not everybody has materials worthy of their expertise, and at instances even the music itself can sound a bit out of pitch.
However the movie’s saving grace, once more, is its pairing of Grande and Erivo. Erivo can belt to the heavens, and Grande brings stunning depth and energy to a task that might have leaned too closely on its flamboyance. Their chemistry is the spine of this saga, and with out them, it’s arduous to think about “Depraved” touchdown practically in addition to it does. Did we’d like a narrative that works onstage at below three hours to stretch past two films? Possibly not. But it surely does pave means for extra emotional nuance and additional respiratory room {that a} singular episode won’t have in any other case supplied.
By the point the curtain falls, it’s the vulnerability between Glinda and Elphaba that stays with you. Watching them evolve, separate, collide, and in the end perceive each other reminds you why this story resonates so deeply with so many individuals. The film can really feel overcrowded, and Chu can’t resist stuffing each body with Oz pageantry, ceremonies, and choreography, however these indulgences are forgivable when the emotional basis feels this sturdy. I’m undecided “Depraved: For Good” modified me for good, however its id, sincerity, and character-driven strategy make the journey down the Yellow Brick Highway worthwhile.
WICKED: FOR GOOD opens in theater Friday, November twenty first.