Some movies take a few rewatches to grow on you, to help you appreciate the characters, to become “one of the best.” “Wicked: For Good” was not one of those movies. Watching the first scene, I instantly got swept back into the land of Oz, and I knew that this movie was destined to be one of my favorites.

The movie follows the journey and friendship of Elphaba Thropp (Cynthia Erivo) and Glinda Upland (Ariana Grande-Butera) as society tries to pit them against each other. Those who watched the first movie (if you haven’t, you really should) might know that this isn’t the first time we’ve heard their story.

The Wicked Witch we all know and love originally comes from L. Frank Baum’s “The Wizard of Oz,” a 1900s novel focusing on a girl from Kansas. In the book, Elphaba is known as the Wicked Witch of the West. In “Wicked,” the 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire, he humanized the Witch by giving her a backstory, friends, and perhaps most importantly, a first name. The book was adapted into the second highest grossing Broadway musical of all time, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Because the story was split into two movies, it makes it easy to see how the characters develop. Every part of their transformations are fleshed out, including their style of singing. Comparing the singing, you will see that the first Wicked movie has mostly high, pure, and fun singing, which reflects the outlooks of the characters. Of course everything’s going to work out perfectly in the end, didn’t you hear that high note?

In contrast, the second movie’s singing is far more rich in tone, more powerful, almost. It shows how the characters have realized that the world isn’t going to change itself, they have to step up and change it themselves. The songs also take a darker turn, perfectly aligning with the main character’s journey once again. 

The switch in style shows how much thought was put into “Wicked: For Good.” This thoughtfulness shines though in the costumes, which were fantastic, and, to no one’s surprise, the acting. With two co-stars as accomplished as these, it might have been a concern that one would outshine the other, but I feel that they both got the chance to steal the show, Erivo in the first movie, Grande-Butera in the second. 

From the opening lines on, the movie is jam-packed with emotional moments, be they happy or heart breaking. You will see things that you’ll love, hate and everything in between. If you get a little lost while watching, just remember, it’s just the one road the whole time!