'Wicked' finale opens with darker tone and Oscar buzz

The witches of Oz are back, and the finale goes darker as Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande anchor a visually sumptuous, song-filled showdown. Does this hotly tipped sequel cast a spell strong enough for Oscar glory, or will its length test audiences’ patience? Berlin (dpa) – Billed as one of the pop culture highlights of the year, the finale of the musical film "Wicked" about the contrasting witches Elphaba and Glinda opens in cinemas with a darker, more serious tone – and is already being touted as an Oscar contender. As with last year’s first instalment, "Wicked: For Good" is again being floated as a possible Academy Awards hopeful, particularly for Grammy winner Cynthia Erivo and US superstar Ariana Grande. The sequel is gloomier and more earnest than its predecessor as events in the fantasy world of Oz come to a head. The story adapts the stage musical of the same name, itself a prequel to the 1939 cult film "The Wizard of Oz". At its core, "Wicked" circles around the friendship between the "good" witch Glinda (Grande) and green-skinned Elphaba (Erivo), who is known and hunted in Oz as the "Wicked Witch of the West." After a bumpy start at university brought them together in Part 1, the friends part ways here over a fateful decision. A political conspiracy is brewing around the Wizard of Oz (Jeff Goldblum). The land’s talking animals are losing their speech and are being imprisoned. Elphaba wants to save the animals, while Glinda remains with the Wizard and his confidante Madame Akaber (Michelle Yeoh). The people of Oz see Elphaba as a traitor threatening the entire country. Their bond, however, cannot be forgotten, and it is later tested by Prince Fiyero, played by Jonathan Bailey ("Sexiest Man Alive 2025"). As with the first film, director Jon M. Chu delivers a visually impressive piece, presenting Oz as a colourful, magical fantasy world. Many musical numbers are emotionally rousing, thanks above all to strong performances from Erivo and Grande. Both actors were already given Academy nods for the first part (best actress and best supporting actress). At more than 130 minutes, though, the film occasionally demands the audience's patience, with some passages feeling drawn out. There is, however, a reunion with familiar figures from the classic "The Wizard of Oz". To recap the original: Dorothy is swept to Oz by a storm and, with the help of a scarecrow, tin man and a lion, sets off to find the Wizard in hope of finding her way home. The costume designs for Scarecrow and Tin Man are particularly striking. It is quite possible the film could take an Oscar in this category, as was the case this year. It was also recognised for best production design. The promotional tour became a viral phenomenon in 2024, with short Instagram and TikTok clips showing Grande and Erivo in seemingly very emotional interviews. Director Chu told dpa it had been "really hard" on last year’s press tour to talk only about the first film, because he already wanted to talk about the sequel too. Both parts were shot at the same time. In some interviews, the two leads sat hand in hand, welcoming journalists’ questions and sometimes even beginning to cry, with the sequences at times feeling like a miniature staged film of their own. The following information is not intended for publication dpa sza yybb a3 cor

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