As was the first installment of the cinematic adaptation of the Broadway musical Wicked, released in 2024, the sequel (and conclusion to the series), Wicked: For Good upholds the standards set forth by its predecessor and even, as unbelievable as it sounds, improves on the underlying story arc of the original The Wizard of Oz (1939).
Now that Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) has assumed the mantle of The Wicked Witch of the West and fights for the liberation of the animals of Oz against what she sees as the hypocritical tyranny of the Wizard (Jeff Goldblum), she finds herself at odds with her counterpart, Glinda (Ariana Grande), who has become the symbol of Goodness for all of Oz. All while the Wizard and Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh) put machinations in motion to continue to demonize Elphaba to the masses as well as execute plans that will bring to fruition the events that ultimately unfold when a young girl from Kansas appears in Oz to fulfill her own destiny of sorts.
As he did in the first film, director Jon M. Chu moves the film from scene to scene swiftly and assuredly and effortlessly as it worked in the initial installment. In fact, the film feels even tighter and more focused than its predecessor as it drives forward on all cylinders to its more than satisfying conclusion. Despite a plethora of plot to plow through, the story – again provided by Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox – moves quickly from set piece to set piece providing ample chances for Chu’s exquisite renditions of the show’s set pieces to shine a light on Alice Brooks’ splendid cinematography and the wonderful production design provided by Nathan Crowley.
Once again, what holds the entire production together is the dynamic performances of Erivo and Grande as two “sisters” destined to be pitted against one another despite their attempts to steer away from their fate. The grace with which Erivo embraces the role of Elphaba is mesmerizing. She is absolutely perfect in the role and easily becomes the hero of the film and, retroactively the misunderstood hero of the 1939 film. Grande, too is afforded her own time in the spotlight as she also comes to discover the forces plotting against her and Elphaba and forges her own path on how best to combat them.
Cynthia Erivo in “Wicked: For Good.” Photo by Universal Pictures – © Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.
While this second installment does not include as many ancillary characters as the first film did, there are ample nods to important characters to the series as whole that manage to enliven and enhance the scope of the production. This makes for an extremely rewarding end to a saga that succeeds in doing the impossible, rewriting a classic film in a new and energetically fresh perspective.
Although some may again cringe at the thought of a classic film like The Wizard of Oz being appropriated by a modern reworking of the story such as this, there cannot be too many that could argue that the finale of the two-part adaptation of the Broadway musical smash Wicked comes as close to being the perfect example of how this can be done as has ever been accomplished before.
| Producer: | Marc Platt, David Stone |
| Release Date: | November 21, 2025 |
| Running Time: | 138 minutes |
| Starring: | Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, Bowen Yang, Peter Dinklage, Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Goldblum |
| Writer: | Winnie Holzman, Dana Fox |
| MPAA Rating: | PG (for action/violence, some suggestive material and thematic material) |
| Director: | Jon M. Chu |
| Distributor: | Universal Pictures |
| External Info: | Official Website / Facebook / Instagram / TikTok / X (TWITTER) / #WickedForGood |
