Of all the movie musicals released in the past few years, it was no surprise that Wicked had the greatest impact, becoming an instant cultural phenomenon. Having rewatched it recently for the third time, I couldn’t believe how much I loved it when it came out over a year ago. For all we know, it could’ve been another poor adaptation of a beloved Tony-winning musical with no style. But it’s the combination of memorable music, emotional depth, and the standout performances of Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande that made it one of my favorite films of last year and, maybe, of the genre (probably more than most). That alone led my anticipation for its second part, Wicked: For Good, as my excitement skyrocketed right when it ended. As one waits patiently for the year-long intermission to come through, one has to consider whether this justifies being split into two halves. So, coming from someone who loved the first half and remains familiar with what goes down in the story, it wasn’t as strong as I’d hoped. But while it’s not one of the year’s best, there’s a nice amount of positives that fans will come out of this conclusion feeling satisfied.

What’s the Story: Five years have passed since being demonized as the Wicked Witch of the West, Elphaba (Erivo) lives in exile in the Ozian forest with the Grimmerie after discovering the Wizard (Jeff Golblum) isn’t as powerful as she imagined. He, along with Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh), convinced the citizens of Emerald City that she is evil, bent on killing them all. All the while, Glinda Upland (Grande) resides at the palace in Emerald City, reveling in the perks of fame and popularity as the face of good in Oz. She’s set to marry Fiyero Tiglaar (Jonathan Bailey), who’s attempting to find Elphaba in his duties as Captain of the Wizard’s Guard for her own protection. As an angry mob rises against the Wicked Witch, she’ll need to reunite with Glinda to transform herself, and all of Oz, for good.

Coming from someone who had ideas of what’s to come in this second act, it’s all about wondering what benefited Wicked for splitting this story into two parts. Because of how popular the musical became and the back-to-back filming, it was an impossible task for director Jon M. Chu and returning writers Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox to cram everything in without forgetting the important aspects of the source material or feeling like padding for a shorter act two. But I’ve also heard that some think the second half isn’t as strong as the first. By that, it’s pretty accurate here in how the story unfolds. You look back at the first, and it’s more lighthearted and whimsical as we get to know the characters inside Shiz University. For Good will lay more emphasis on emotional thematics and has a darker tone, exploring how our perceptions and misperceptions of people aren’t new in our political climate, but does so in Oz.

Even if all the pieces of Wicked: For Good don’t work for everybody, the standout aspect is the spectacular performances of Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, which highlight why they were perfect choices to play Elphaba and Glinda on-screen. Their chemistry, especially in modern musicals, carries over, and it’s electrifying whenever they’re together, as you feel the pain and eventual growth they’ve endured. Erivo still has us believing Elphaba is in the right and that what she’s doing is good, as she wants her to expose the lies the Wizard and Madame Morrible tell their citizens. In particular, wishing to free the animals from capture rather than enslave them to pave the yellow brick road. She’s impressive when most of her scenes have her doing the most action and surrounded by CGI, yet she remains captivating. And she’s greater here than the last one.

To this day, I still can’t believe how much I adore Grande, who was robbed of the Best Supporting Actress Oscar this year and quickly became a character I came to love. While her humor remains intact, Glinda is given more humanity as a positive influence people look up to when she’s part of this propaganda game. Grande has this way of conveying the right emotions on her face without saying a word, making her arc easier to sympathize with than before. Honestly, I really bought this as a love story between them, and why their beating hearts make these two films work. Everyone else in the ensemble, including Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, and Ethan Slater, continues to deliver solid performances. Though Michelle Yeoh’s Morrible does feel more one-note this time, and she and Goldblum still aren’t the strongest singers of the cast.

Besides the performances, the strength and wonder of what brought this vibrant fantasy world to life are carried over, making it more immersive. After winning Oscars for their work on the costumes and production design, Paul Tazewell (the first African American male to win in the category) and Nathan Crowley outdid themselves, especially with Glinda’s outfits and the unique blend of pink and emerald of Oz’s buildings. One of the significant improvements over the last part was Alice Brooks’s cinematography. The most notable criticism some had of the first film, on a visual level, was that it had an almost faded look, which I didn’t mind that much. But the color grading looked brighter and better this time, and the visuals too, except for one character’s appearance near the end.

From what I’ve heard, the music in this half isn’t as strong as what we’ve heard before. The score by John Powell and Stephen Schwartz is even more fantastic here than last time, but I can see why the musical numbers are just fine this time around, though I don’t have a strong attachment to probably four of them. Let’s say if the first part’s soundtrack is like “The Black Parade by My Chemical Romance, For Good can be compared to “Danger Days,” if that makes sense. “No Place Like Home” and “The Girl in the Bubble“ were the two new original songs written for the film, with the latter probably less memorable, yet its sequence and visual takes made it seem like one take. “No Good Deed” is the standout of all the numbers, showing off Erivo’s amazing voice to bring the house down, and the song I’ve listened to the most afterwards. But I’m very familiar with Elphabia and Glinda’s all-time duet of “For Good,” the one song I still remember to this day. When I was in choir throughout high school, it was always the last song we sang at our Spring Sing: the seniors sang Glinda’s first verse before the rest of us performed the rest. It’s a very tender song that didn’t have me choking up as I hoped for, but the number itself is a powerful ballad to sit through.

Some of my issues with why it wasn’t great stem from the second act’s pacing feeling uneven, which is odd given the runtime is shorter here than in the first. Part of that is due to not giving us enough time to buy into what’s happening with others, like Boq and Nessarose’s (Marissa Bode) relationship, which was a bit choppy, and I wanted that fleshed out for me. But, with this set in the world of L. Frank Baum had to incorporate Dorothy Gale and what we’ve come to know when tying into The Wizard of Oz into the story. Those moments weren’t shocking, considering how we all know Elphaba meets her end. But I never felt like adding Dorothy was needed since we never see her face, and she has no dialogue. Since I haven’t read the novel or know if she had more to do in the show, some of the surprises caught me off guard in terms of the connections while she’s on her adventure to get back home. More or less, all I cared about was what was going on between Elphaba and Glinda than what we knew from other interpretations, making the climax need more for everyone else.

Walking out, I somewhat enjoyed it, but knew instantly it wasn’t as grand as its predecessor. Thinking about it a day later, I still lean toward liking Wicked: For Good, despite the flaws within the story. Would this have worked better if it were all one movie instead of two? Yes and no. I could’ve seen a three-hour version, but would I and everyone else have the patience to get through it? Who knows. But the reactions from fans have been more positive, so I’m glad it’s for them. Though given the surprisingly mixed reviews it’s been receiving, it’s still going to be one of the biggest blockbusters at the end of the year, and it’s a much-needed boost at the box office. As for its Oscar chances, it isn’t likely to get nearly as much love as the first, which landed a well-deserved Best Picture nomination. Grande could get another Best Supporting Actress nomination, and it would be great if they continued to recognize the outstanding production and costume design, which might rival Frankenstein.

Overall, Wicked: For Good will please fans, even if it didn’t turn out to be as great as the first. Still, even if the issues of this second half stand out, which makes the impact less than, that couldn’t take away from pulling us in for Erivo and Grande’s respective performances and all-around craftsmanship from Jon M. Chu and company to make this musical sequel soar enough to call it a solid enough conclusion.

Grade: B