Wicked: For Good (2025)
SHOULD I SEE IT?
YES
Ariana Grande steals the show as she and Cynthia Erivo build on their career-defining performances as Glinda and Elphaba, respectively, from last year’s Wicked: Part I.
The film looks fantastic - costumes, sets, and cinematography are all impressive - even as the film takes a darker, less friendly tone with the storytelling.
The big epic finale, the ballad “For Good,” may cause fans to grab tissues as Elphaba and Glinda (and Grande and Erivo) come together beautifully as they share a song reflecting on their friendshp..
NO
Fails to make the case that Wicked needed to be divided into two films. If anything, the longer this goes, you start to really question the decision-making around that.
Stephen Schwartz’s heralded return to the Wicked franchise, penning two new songs for Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo to individually sing in the film, proves disappointing and the songs are quite forgettable.
Pacing and storytelling issues abound and this feels like a very long sit at 2 hours and 18 minutes.
OUR REVIEW
My oh my, what a difference a year makes. For all of those who rallied around director Jon M. Chu when he missed out on a Best Director Oscar nomination for Wicked last year, then saw him win the trophy at the Critics Choice Awards, I wonder how they will feel after watching Wicked: For Good.
On one hand, Chu once again finds visual richness and beauty in this increasingly dark and foreboding sequel of fractured friendship, damaged trust, and witchy magic. He draws a stellar performance from Ariana Grande, whose arc as Glinda the Good is the true heart and soul of the film. Cynthia Erivo is strong again as Elphaba - the (not-so) Wicked Witch of the West - but she takes a back seat this time as Glinda’s story comes into focus. The film even starts promisingly, with a thrilling action sequence set five years after the events of the first film, as Elphaba returns to the Land of Oz to try and right the wrongs of the Wizard and his regime.
Even with those things working in its favor, Wicked: For Good becomes a franchise of diminishing returns the longer it goes. As someone who was a big fan of Wicked: Part I, it is hard to watch a movie grow flatter and less interesting as it unfolds. Despite Grande ‘s very capable shoulders, impeccable comedic timing, and beautiful voice, Chu and screenwriters Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox can’t recapture the enthusiasm, energy, and urgency of the first film.
This resurrects the two familiar arguments made about Wicked:
-> Wicked should have been one three-hour movie instead of a five-hour, two-film creation.
-> The “second half” of Wicked is not nearly as strong as the first, and everything that comes after the legendary “Defying Gravity,” song fails to match the moment.
Chu does little to counter that sentiment.
Essentially For Good is a coming-of-age story told twice. Elphaba, misunderstood and exiled from Oz, seeks to defeat The Wizard (Jeff Goldblum) and fight for the injustice done to the talking animals who once inhabited the region but are now banned. She also accepts that her devoted friendship with Glinda is over. Meanwhile, Glinda is engaged in an arranged union to Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey), the leader of the Wizard’s Guard, who seeks to find a way to bring Elphaba back home.
As Elphaba wrestles with the emotions around her life away from Oz, Glinda’s backstabbing, self-involved ways lead to her finding out what it means to be alone.
And largely, that’s the movie.
Michelle Yeoh’s Madame Morrible returns - scheming, manipulating, and conniving her way politically while also attempting to turn everyone against Elphaba. Goldblum furrows his brow a lot, portrays the Wizard as constantly overwhelmed, and seems unable to match Morrible’s intensity.
As a continuation, the movie needs more. In lieu of that, we have Grande’s enigmatic presence, Erivo’s charisma, and frequent reminders of how impressive this whole thing looks. Oscar winner Paul Tazewell’s costumes are gorgeously designed yet again, blending the pastels and lighter hues of the Emerald City’s residents with a less constrained, darker look for Elphaba. Glinda is almost always in a gown and some variation of her bubble dress, as if she is trying to convince herself that she truly is the person she presents to the world.
The sets are lavish, with cinematographer Alice Brooks shifting her palette from world-building to a more intimate focus on characters. In one of the two new songs in the film, “The Girl in the Bubble,” performed by Grande, Brooks swirls around Glinda as the character becomes consumed by a newfound maturity that will guide her future. Brooks’ work is one of the film’s finest moments.
Written by Stephen Schwartz, the legendary composer wrote two new songs for the film - the aforementioned “Bubble,” and “No Place Like Home,” a new ballad for Elphaba, neither of which prove memorable. Though lyrically they advance the characters’ stories and position them for new futures, Elphaba’s song comes too soon and Glinda’s song too late. With Chu’s apparent struggles with pacing and storytelling, the new songs seem unnecessary.
The titular duet, the poignant farewell “For Good,” delivers as fans have been anticipating. But imagine the tears and the emotions that would greet the moment if it came at the conclusion of a singular, tightly-focused, 150-180 minute viewing experience, instead of a two-year, two-movie, five-hour journey.
Ultimately, Wicked: For Good is going to make a billion dollars and Grande and Erivo have created career-defining performances. There is a lot to admire about what Chu and his team set out to accomplish. But because the sequel never inspires much excitement or enthusiasm, we are left with a lackluster sequel to an ambitious first film. In the process, Chu may have proven those skeptics right after all, as he delivers a movie that never truly justifies its own existence.
CAST & CREW
Starring: Ariana Grande-Butera, Cynthis Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Marissa Bode, Ethan Slater, Bowen Yang, Bronwyn James, Colman Domingo, Keala Settle
Director: Jon M. Chu
Written by: Winnie Holzman, Dana Fox
Adapted from the musical book “Wicked” by Winnie Holzman, with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz
Based on the novel “Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West” by Gregory Maguire
Release Date: November 21, 2025
Universal Pictures