The fact Part One clocked in at nearly three hours already hinted at the stretch. And much as cramming everything into one film was briefly an option, it was impossible not to close with “Defying Gravity”, not in this medium, at least. As composer Stephen Schwartz explained, “That song is written specifically to bring a curtain down”, or, in this case, roll the credits. “Any scene that follows it without a break just seemed hugely anti-climactic”, he added.  

Sure, epic films did theater-style intermissions before. The Brutalist even recently revived that practice. But, face it, modern audiences digest differently. Anything beyond an hour already tends to feel like a chore to younger viewers, more so when the material is marketed as family fare. And as far as bringing Wicked to the big screen goes, Jon M. Chu and writers Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox preferred to add without subtracting. So, the eventual fix, as we all know, was to split into two films, with the “intermission” spanning one full year. Sadly, neither Idina Menzel nor Kristen Chenoweth could resume cameo duties. 

So, how exactly does one bloat the 40-minute second act into feature length? Pad it with exposition, of course, and toss in two new songs for good measure. It inevitably feels residual, especially with most of the highlights concentrated in Part One. So, this is where the performances come in. As eagerly anticipated, Cynthia Erivo reprises her Oscar-nominated turn as Elphaba. To no surprise, she’s ferocious as ever, especially as she tackles added scenes. Here, we meet her rescuing muted animals forced to construct the Yellow Brick Road, before trying to talk the rest into staying in Oz. There’s “No Place Like Home”, The Green One maintains (and sings), even if the general populace branded her as The Wicked Witch of the West in repulsion.

Nevertheless, she manages to touch base with her paraplegic sister, Nessarose (Marissa Bode), now ruling with an iron fist as Munchkinland’s new Governess, yet still romantically obsessed with Boq (Ethan Slater), now her servant. In the process, she enforced a law that prevents its citizens from leaving town. And her attempt at magic only aggravates matters. 

Meanwhile, back in Emerald City, Glinda (Ariana Grande) is now spokesperson to the Wizard (Jeff Goldblum), but is still under the beck and call of the insidious Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh). While now influential, she’s still unsure where she stands with Captain Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey), even if they’re set to wed. The dilemma’s once again tested, when Elphaba returns to settle matters. Glinda still cares for her friend deep down, even if they’ve chosen different paths. This is where Grande takes her dramatic prowess to all-new depths and excels. You can say this is where she steps up. The new song, “The Girl in the Bubble”, turns her mode of transportation into a metaphor for being stuck. 

Act Two is notable for incorporating elements from L. Frank Baum’s original story. Here, however, we actually get glimpses of both Dorothy and Toto and that’s Colman Domingo voicing The Cowardly Lion, introduced as a cub in Part One. The juxtaposition feels contrived but it is pivotal. It explains Elphaba’s fury (hint: those slippers), before building up to her splashy fate. Awkward parallel aside, it also paves the way for one final reckoning between the enchanted pair. As with the stage musical, that’s given emotional heft by “For Good”, the ruminative ballad by which this installment is subtitled. The duet certainly does the trick, and it’s ignited tenfold by Erivo and Grande’s chemistry.

Yes, tripling the source act’s running time doesn’t come without strain and the heavy-handed treatment does go overboard. Thankfully, it still concludes this year-long cinematic outing on a high with its searing performances. They help this second act defy gravity, even when, on ground, it can barely stand on its own.