Musical theater is a stay dialog with its viewers; one the place viewers arrive able to droop disbelief, settle for songs as shorthand for exposition, and observe character arcs that may activate a dime. Basic film musicals as soon as acknowledged this distinction by preserving intermissions, each out of respect for his or her Broadway origins and to justify their expansive runtimes, however Jon M. Chu’s cinematic adaptation of “Depraved” offered a fair greater problem. The stage model already clocks in at practically three hours, together with intermission, motivating the choice to separate the difference in two. It was a controversial name, however the suitable one, as a single characteristic would have needed to dash by means of materials that wants room to land.
By dedicating a movie to every act of the stage musical, Chu and screenwriters Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox give the story further respiration room to strengthen Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande-Butera’s evolution from rivals to shut pals as Elphaba and Glinda, and ending “Depraved: Half One” with the righteous wailing of “Defying Gravity” felt satisfying, because the quantity was all the time constructed to be a seismic midpoint. However the totality of “Depraved” is not simply an Oz prequel; it is a story layered with political rigidity, social prejudice, and the mechanics of propaganda. Compressing all of that into one film would have meant shedding an excessive amount of, however “Depraved: For Good” exposes an unlucky reality that any Ozians have struggled to choke again like stale inexperienced elixir … Act II of “Depraved: A New Musical” is considerably weaker than Act I.
Luckily, with Chu within the director’s chair and with a pitch-perfect forged that rivals the Authentic Broadway manufacturing from 2003, “Depraved: For Good” could be precisely that — good.
Depraved: For Good cures most of the musical’s shortcomings
“Depraved: For Good” features a time soar that does not enable for the emotional revelations of what is gone down in Oz since we final noticed everybody to actually settle. Nessarose (Marissa Bode) is the brand new Eminence of Munchkinland following the loss of life of her and Elphaba’s father, however she’s a tyrannical chief who makes selections based mostly on whether or not it is going to mandate that Boq (Ethan Slater) keep near her or make her appear much less like her sister, Elphaba. Prince Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey) is now the Captain of the Wizard’s Guard within the quest to take down the so-called Depraved Witch of the West, whereas Glinda has been christened “Glinda the Good” and is a fairly, sparkly mouthpiece for Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh) and the Wizard of Oz (Jeff Goldblum) to unfold propaganda.
Now that they are away from the washed-out eyesore of Shiz College, “Depraved: For Good” a minimum of seems to be stunning whereas everybody in Oz desires Elphaba lifeless. Elphie’s been vilified, however she’s nonetheless preventing the great struggle to avoid wasting the animals, clear her identify, and enlighten everybody in Oz that the Wizard is nothing greater than a carnie grifter. “Why do I like this place that is by no means liked me?” Elphaba sings within the new tune “No Place Like Residence” (written by Stephen Schwartz and Cynthia Erivo for the movie). The movie could also be a clock tick too lengthy, however the parallels between the Wizard’s model of brainwashing and what we’re at present seeing play out in our personal governments are sometimes uncanny, which makes it irritating when the movie does not dive deeper than a wading pool.
Then once more, that is the identical situation I’ve with the stage musical, and this can be a PG film. It is on me to satisfy the movie the place it is at.
No good deed goes unpunished
Chu and firm clear up the mess of Act II by furthering the event of Glinda’s story and understanding of her place within the propaganda machine, and make such a robust, welcome change to treatment the inherent ableism of Nessarose and Elphaba’s reunion that I hope it turns into a typical change in future stage productions. The juxtaposed parallels between Elphaba and Glinda’s tales are a lot stronger right here than they’re on stage, however alas, no good deed goes unpunished.
The 2 new songs written by Stephen Schwartz (and coming to a Finest Authentic Music Oscar poll close to you) give Erivo and Grande-Butera extra time to shine, however the songs are simply … okay. “No Place Like Residence” boasts the identical hamfisted imagery present in Schwartz’s different large hit, “Godspell,” and solely works as a result of Erivo’s efficiency instructions that it does. Watching Erivo sing about how “Oz is greater than only a place / It is a promise, an concept” whereas speaking animals march towards a literal underground yellow brick railroad is potent, albeit apparent. “The Lady within the Bubble” basically serves as Grande-Butera’s Finest Supporting Actress trailer, and anybody doubting her talents as an actress can shut up eternally, now. I do not suppose the movie wanted these additions, however I am not mad about their inclusion.
As is the case with the stage present, “No Good Deed” and “For Good” are dazzling show-stoppers. Erivo arguably delivers the definitive vocal efficiency of Elphaba embracing her wickedness, and “For Good” had the waterworks overflowing earlier than Gelphie began to harmonize. Whereas nothing can ever transcend “Defying Gravity” in sheer power, each numbers introduced the home down.
Oh, and for those who aren’t bought on Jonathan Bailey being chosen as Individuals’s Sexiest Man Alive for 2025, the way in which he yearns whereas performing “As Lengthy as You are Mine” will repair that for you.
Depraved: For Good is for the Ozians
The parallel between Elphaba and Glinda has all the time been the guts of “Depraved.” Those that make errors and develop from them are regularly celebrated, whereas the quiet integrity of somebody who has fought to do what’s proper from the very starting is disregarded. We’re impressed by redemption arcs, however cannot relate to somebody who resisted corruption, confronted oppression, and defended justice even whereas being demonized for it. It is simple to dismiss the Oz prequel musical as nothing greater than a bloated blockbuster, however in its strongest moments, “Depraved” is a mirror held as much as our society, revealing what and who we select to worth. It is as deep as you need it to be.
Elphaba asks Glinda to look not together with her eyes, however with theirs, a technique to train her to know that the courtroom of public opinion does not really care about what’s “proper” or “simply.” And to some extent, I feel that is precisely the way in which that “Depraved: For Good” ought to be critiqued. As a result of it really does not matter if I feel the pacing is disjointed, or that the brand new songs are mediocre, or that the large announcement of Colman Domingo as voicing the Cowardly Lion was overblown (he barely speaks, we did not want a press launch on that).
As a result of once I sat in that theater and watched Erivo and Grande-Butera show that bell hooks was proper when she mentioned that “deep, abiding friendships are the place the place many ladies know lasting love,” I ended being a movie critic and instantly regressed to the musical theater obsessed excessive schooler who sang “For Good,” by means of tears together with her greatest pal at our highschool commencement ceremony. That is who “Depraved: For Good” is for, and based mostly on the numerous sobbing adults in my viewers, I feel it is secure to say it was for them too.
/Movie Score: 7 out of 10
“Depraved: For Good” opens in theaters on November 21, 2025.
