Wicked: For Good—Top or Flop?

Released on November 21st, Wicked: For Good is the long-awaited conclusion to the two-part film adaptation of the hit Broadway musical Wicked. With a combined length of about 5 hours, the movie adaptations run far longer than the original musical, which lasts about 2 hours and 45 minutes. While this extra time allows the movies to have new scenes, more dialogue, and more character development, it does not distract from what many consider to be the most important part of the musical franchise: its songs.

The first Wicked movie featured well-known hits like “Defying Gravity” and “What Is This Feeling". Even those who have never seen Wicked have likely heard the song “Popular,” as a snippet of its chorus has circulated widely on social media. The popularity of these songs was hard to beat—so, did Wicked: For Good top them, or did the songs flop in comparison?

After watching the sequel, it’s clear that the songs in Wicked: For Good did not top the songs from the first film. Wicked’s songs were earworms, assured to stay stuck in your head for days or even weeks after viewing the movie. Most of the songs in For Good simply weren’t as memorable. They were slower, more melancholic, and failed to stand out from each other. They seemed like they were there to check off the “song” requirement for a musical, rather than to actually add meaning and depth to the film. 

“The Girl in the Bubble” has been especially criticized for stalling the story in For Good. The song did not appear in the original musical, and was instead a new song written just for the movie adaptation. Because of this, it was expected to contribute immensely to Glinda’s character development and to move the story. Instead, it felt bland compared to the original music in Wicked. The song is slow, which can sometimes benefit emotional songs, but in this case, only served to highlight the song’s repetitiveness. Its theme of Glinda “popping her bubble” and realizing that she needs to see the ugly truths of the world is undeniably important, but “The Girl in the Bubble” was not the best song to communicate this theme.

Reflecting further on the themes of the films, it is not surprising that the songs in the first movie found much more success and popularity. The first film was generally more upbeat, with the characters living happily within the world of Oz. The facade of the “goodness” of Oz and the Wizard are still standing, leading to more upbeat, happier songs. These songs inevitably caught on more quickly, whether on social media or in the charts. In For Good, the darker side of Oz is explored more deeply, and the songs reflect this by being slower, less catchy, and, as some say, “more boring.” The course of the story, with its bittersweet ending and darker themes in the second half, make this difference unavoidable.

However, the musical addresses this issue by telling the story all at once, rather than breaking it up into 2 movies. In the musical, the difference in songs is able to provide balance, rather than highlight a disparity in the quality and popularity of the songs, which occurs with the two separate movies. 

Overall, both movies have been a success, with both breaking records in the box office. Nonetheless, For Good’s songs were unable to top Wicked’s. The songs in Wicked are genuinely enjoyable when listened to outside of the context of the movie; For Good’s songs don’t have this same adaptability. So if you want to have a fun, bouncy playlist, choose Wicked over For Good.