Part one of Jon M. Chu’s film adaptation of the Broadway hit musical Wicked last November sparked a widespread cultural phenomenon that led it to gross $263 million in its first two weeks in theaters. Wicked was everywhere—collaborations ran rampant and the press graced us with endless interviews of our Elphaba and Glinda, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande. Since the first movie, the team behind Wicked’s publicity has been working overtime to promote the second part; Wicked: For Good, which came out Nov. 21. 

The story picks up four or five years after the ending of part one, aging the characters out of high school and into more mature personas. This grown-up feel manifests in the music and overall gloomy and witchy vibe of the movie. Directors utilized darker-toned lighting and costumes and transitioned from lighthearted pop tunes to emotional ballads that grapple with heavier topics. Despite Wicked: For Good’s differences, the underlying message of the musical is the same: it tells a tale of racial discrimination and compromised morality through the story of two polar-opposite best friends. 

When I watched the first part of Wicked last year, I immediately fell in love with the characters and story, not to mention the catchy soundtrack with hits like “Dancing through life” that had me boogieing down in my room. But when I went to see this one, the songs stuck with me a little bit less. Not to say they weren’t good, but the change in tone from the first movie makes this one feel sonically disconnected. The film includes two original songs, “No Place Like Home” and “Girl in the Bubble,” that were not in the Broadway musical, but they fell flat, not contributing much to the story or character development. I would have preferred to  see more screen time allocated to delving into the relationships between the characters rather than self-reflection. 

The movie itself felt a little rushed, dwelling on unimportant details while speeding through the plot. Truthfully, in order to do the complex and lengthy story justice, a third movie would likely have to be made–without any unnecessary details.

Despite this, the acting in the movie from all the main characters is phenomenal with outstanding performances from Erivo and Grande particularly in the last 20 minutes of the movie in their duet “For Good.” That scene is the highlight of the movie, showcasing Steven Schwartz’s beautiful composition and Erivo and Grande’s dynamic acting performance—a perfect way to cap off the legacy Wicked left behind.