This hotly anticipated sequel movie may disappoint fans of the original

Last year, Hollywood finally got around to adapting Wicked, which has been delighting fans of musical theater on stage for over two decades. Director Jon Chu took the surprising step of splitting the show in two; the first Wicked movie covered the first act, and Wicked: For Good will bring the story home when it drops in theaters later this month.

That’s a risky move, because the second act doesn’t stand up to the first. It’s not that bad—it’s not like one of these beloved TV shows that ends in a way everyone hates—but fans widely agree the second half of Wicked is a bit of a step-down. Act II works better if you see it immediately after Act 1 in the theater, but can it stand on its own as a separate movie?

The story is more plot-heavy

And we don’t get as much of the two main characters

Wicked is a prequel to The Wizard of Oz that tells the story of how Elphaba Thropp (Cynthia Erivo) became the Wicked Witch of the West and how Galinda Upland (Ariana Grande) became the Good Witch of the North. The relationship between Elphaba and Glinda is at the center of the show, especially in the first act. We see how they meet at school, hate each other at first sight, become friends, and finally part as their ambitions pull them in different directions. At the start of Wicked: For Good, they’re on opposite sides of a boiling conflict.

The first movie nailed everything about Elphaba and Glinda, including their complicated relationship; people definitely left the theater wanting to see more of it. So a lot of those people may be disappointed to learn that they don’t interact nearly as much in Act II. That’s out of necessity; it wouldn’t make sense for them to be together all the time, considering where the story goes, but sometimes it feels like the heart of the story is missing.

Act II is very busy, plot-wise. We have to make room for storylines involving Elphaba’s sister, Nessarose (Marissa Bode), and her love interest, Boq (Ethan Slater), as well as more about the conflicted Prince Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey). And those storylines are interesting enough, but that’s not the reason many fans are here.

Not as many iconic songs

Defying memorability

The first act of Wicked has 11 original songs in it, including certified bangers like “Popular” and “Defying Gravity.” Even if you’re not a fan of musicals, you can probably hum a couple bars of “Defying Gravity,” because it’s just that inescapable, and the first movie makes a five-course meal out of it; the “Defying Gravity” scene is one of those movie moments you want to watch again immediately after seeing it.

But the second act only has nine numbers, and three of them are reprises. There isn’t as much time for singing when there’s so much plot to get to. Furthermore, none of the songs in the second half became breakout hits (at least among musical theater nerds) like “Popular” and “Defying Gravity” did. The exception is the big climactic number “For Good,” which is where the second movie gets its title.

That doesn’t mean the songs we do get in Act II aren’t good, but this is a musical, and it matters whether it has a lot of memorable musical numbers. Again, this is easier to take if people watch both acts of Wicked back to back in the theater, because they can ride the energy of the first act through to the end. But as a standalone movie, Wicked: For Good could be in danger.

Reasons to hope

Turning a negative into a positive

All that said, Jon Chu has proven me wrong before. When I first heard that he was splitting the Wicked stage show into two movies, I was worried. The entire stage show lasts approximately two hours and 45 minutes, including an intermission. The first movie is nearly that long at 2 hours and 40 minutes. How, I thought, were they going to manage that? Surely the movie would feel stretched, padded, and dull?

But it didn’t. In fact, the first Wicked movie is well on its way to becoming the definitive version of the tale. So maybe the cast and crew have something up their sleeve for Act II, as well. Wicked: For Good runs for 2 hours and 18 minutes, well longer than the stage version. Maybe Chu can use that extra time to untangle the plot and tease out some intriguing undertones.

The trailers have revealed some of the new material that Chu is adding for Act II, including a flashback to Glinda’s childhood. Will that be cringy fluff or the scene we never knew we needed? After the success of the first movie, I think Chu has earned the benefit of the doubt.

A win for Wicked is a win for good musicals

It’s rare that a movie musical finds as much success as Wicked these days, and I sincerely hope that Wicked: For Good is every bit as satisfying and successful. Perhaps then Hollywood will be inspired to adapt other great stage musicals that have somehow still not made the leap to the screen. Why hasn’t there been a Hamilton movie yet? Where’s our Book of Mormon movie? There’s no motivator like money in the bank. I’m also crossing my fingers for some of the other major sci-fi/fantasy films coming to theaters this year.

Wicked: For Good opens in theaters on November 21. Let’s hope it’s still got the magic.