A+Z Movie Review Podcast · Alex Long and Zach Cavanagh

Episode 52 - Wicked: For Good

·1 hr 23 min·3 clips

No Good Deed stands out as film's strongest musical moment despite visual chaos

Alex and Zach open by saying they have been waiting for Wicked: For Good for a long time. They connect that anticipation to the first Wicked movie and the way it became a huge theatrical event. The show treats the sequel as the payoff to a two part Broadway adaptation. They also point out how long it has been since they last had a real movie to talk about. The intro stays loose and conversational, with the hosts slipping back into their usual banter. Once the movie talk starts, the focus moves quickly to the structure of the finale. They keep circling the question of whether part two can stand on its own. A lot of the discussion is about changes. One host is especially harsh on 'Wonderful.' Glinda’s presence in that number does not help matters. The changes to the Wizard’s role in the song do not land either. The conversation also compares that sequence against 'Dancing Through Life.' That song is treated as an example of the film improving on the stage version. By contrast, 'Wonderful' comes off as the opposite. They are also frustrated by the way 'Defying Gravity' material gets repurposed. The Peter Pan ride in the Wizard’s lair becomes part of that complaint. The reaction is that the movie feels manipulative there. The opening number gets similar scrutiny. The feeling is that the movie keeps recycling things from the first film instead of letting the new material breathe. They do acknowledge that a part two movie probably needs some kind of reset. Even with that in mind, the response stays irritated. The larger complaint is that the changes pile up and drag the movie down. The episode ends up as a candid back and forth about what works, what does not, and where the sequel gets in its own way.

As heard by us

A candid, slightly cranky look at Wicked for Good, with pointed reactions to the song changes and recycled material.

Alex and Zach turn Wicked for Good into a grounded post-screening argument, with the adaptation choices doing most of the work. The song reshuffling and the material carried over from part one give the conversation shape, and the sharpest stretches come when they zero in on a…

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Why you'd press play

If you want a heated, change-heavy take on Wicked: For Good, start here.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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