Wicked: For Good

Rating

Director

Jon M. Chu

Screenplay

Winnie Holzman, Dana Fox

Length

2h 17m

Starring

Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande-Butera, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, Marissa Bode, Colman Domingo, Bowen Yang, Bronwyn James

MPAA Rating

PG

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Review

What should have been a single film, Wicked: For Good stays true to its source material while expanding on the limited material of the second act.

Ending on a literal high note, Wicked saw Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) embrace the wicked label and escape into the wilderness where she would plot her overthrow of the Wizard (Jeff Goldblum). Meanwhile, Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh) is busy using the Wicked Witch as a rallying cry to enact the Wizard’s speciesist agenda using Glinda (Ariana Grande-Butera) as am emblem of the Emerald City’s goodness and newly-promoted Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey) as the captain of the guard and Glinda’s fiancé. Elphaba’s sister Nessarose (Marissa Bode) faces loneliness after her father’s death and the ostracization forced upon paramour Boq (Ethan Slater) who questions her acquiescence to the Wizard’s pogrom.

Although the musical’s best song closes out the first act, there are strong songs in the second that make up for the limited narrative development. Tunes “I’m Not That Girl,” “As Long as You’re Mine,” “No Good Deed,” and “For Good” are all strong numbers and are better than any from the first except “Defying Gravity” and that helps the second film come out strong. The added ballads “No Place Like Home” and “The Girl in the Bubble” supply much needed character development to the final act, though they aren’t nearly as strong as the other songs in this section of the film except for “Wonderful,” which is easily the weakest song in the entire production.

They were written with Erivo and Grande in mind and that helps bolster those songs within the picture. “No Place Like Home,” an obvious homage to the 1939 adaptation of The Wizard of Oz bears little resemblance to that film and helps explain Elphaba’s motivations for those who don’t quite pick up on the subtlety of the musical’s plot. “The Girl in the Bubble,” on the other hand, gives Glinda something more compelling to do in this half. For the most part, her character development in the stage version lacked depth and substance, which might help elevate the Elphaba character but undercuts the poignancy of “For Good,” which is Glinda’s final development.

The first film had a few very notable visual sequences where the cinematography was spectacular. This time around, there aren’t as many moments with mostly dark settings populating the screen. That allows Alice Brooks to maintain the glossy excess of the production without sacrificing the mood and somber nature of many scenes. Both new song sequences were handled intriguingly. With “No Place Like Home,” despite the gravity of the situation and the struggle Elphaba is undergoing to encourage the Animals to remain, the scene is lit in a warm, late-afternoon glow that allows the beauty of the land to act as a supporting boost to the number. Whereas “The Girl in the Bubble” employs some fascinating mirror effects that make you question where the reflection ends and the real Glinda begins. It’s a metaphorical segment that lands perfectly.

As expected, the gorgeous production design and costuming continued into the second chapter while the choreography was more limited this time around with few numbers that are dance-friendly like the first film had. If you were wanting to be whisked away again into the land of Oz, these production elements will help transport you back with ease. The expansion of the second act doesn’t entirely work. The number of callbacks to the stage musical and winks to The Wizard of Oz (1939) were excessive and the expansion of elements related to Dorothy and friends felt superfluous. Yet, for those who are fans of the first film and the stage musical, many of those mistakes can be easily forgiven.

Wicked: For Good would have been served well by being released as a single film rather than as a cash-grab two-parter. Going back to the days when intermissions were an important part of the cinemagoing experience, this picture would have been brilliantly rendered in such a format. Regardless, this production isn’t likely to win new converts but it will please anyone who was excited to see it in the first place and, for a product like this, that’s all that really matters.

Oscar Prospects

Guarantees: Actress (Cynthia Erivo), Supporting Actress (Ariana Grande)
Probables: Picture, Casting, Original Song (“No Place Like Home,” “The Girl in the Bubble”), Production Design, Costume Design, Makeup & Hairstyling, Sound
Potentials: Directing, Supporting Actor (Jonathan Bailey), Adapted Screenplay, Original Score, Film Editing, Cinematography, Visual Effects
Unlikelies: Supporting Actress (Michelle Yeoh)

Review Written

December 2, 2025