Wicked: For Good Review— Is it as Good as Wicked Part I?

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

A Spellbinding Conclusion to the Oz Saga

Last year, I took the Wicked plunge and was transported to the land of Oz, where a phony Wizard runs the Emerald City. The first film ended as the green witch Elphaba Thropp (Cynthia Erivo) rode a magic broom into the heavens. Director Jon M. Chu and screenwriters Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox now bring us the second and final act of Stephen Schwartz’s legendary musical with Wicked: For Good.

The Plot Thickens in Oz

Elphaba, now dubbed the Wicked Witch of the West, champions animal rights from her forest home. Her former best friend, Glinda Upland (Ariana Grande), works for the Wizard (Jeff Goldblum) and is engaged to Fiyero Tigelaar (Jonathan Bailey), a prince and captain of the Gale Force. Elphaba makes a surprise visit to her half-sister, Nessarose Thropp (Marissa Bode), the governor of Munchkinland and the future Wicked Witch of the East, who uses a wheelchair. In a kindly gesture, Elphaba enchants her sister’s shoes to give her the power of flight. Nessa loves her Munchkin servant, Boq (Ethan Slater), who is infatuated with Glinda. When Boq tries to leave, Nessarose attempts a love spell on him that backfires; Elphaba’s attempts to reverse it tragically turn him into the Tin Man.

On her return to the Emerald City, Elphaba frees many animals from their cages in the Wizard’s basement. These creatures run amok and interrupt Glinda’s wedding ceremony. In the ensuing melee, Elphaba escapes and is later joined by Fiyero, who professes his love for her. The Wizard’s aide, Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh), stirs up a tornado that sends Dorothy Gale (Bethany Weaver) and her dog Toto to Oz, where their house lands and fatally crushes Nessarose.

Standout Performances and Musical Highlights

The nearly five-hour running time of the two Wicked installments enabled director Chu and his screenwriters to develop more thorough characterizations of the principal cast members, particularly Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande. These two stars reprise the strong performances that were highlights of the first film. Although the musical fare of this second film, like the staged version of Act 2, does not provide the immediate ear-candy thrills of “Popular” or “Defying Gravity,” there are two standout duets— “As Long as You’re Mine” (Erivo and Bailey) and the concluding anthem “For Good” (Grande and Erivo)—that will put lumps in many viewers’ throats. Supporting cast members Goldblum, Yeoh, and Bode (who is a wheelchair user in real life) also add strong contributions.

A Darker Tone and Dazzling Effects

Both thematically and visually, Wicked: For Good is a much darker film than its predecessor, clearly blurring the lines between good and evil that were central to the original musical. Special effects abound and are duly spectacular, as exemplified by Morrible’s huge tornado and Glinda’s magic flying bubble. It was also a noteworthy directorial choice that Chu decided not to show the face of Bethany Weaver’s Dorothy, perhaps to allow audiences to use their imagination (this character was entirely offstage in the original musical).

Final Verdict and Recommendation

As Wicked: For Good races to an unlikely but ultimately satisfying conclusion, audiences will leave theaters having experienced another masterpiece of motion picture production. All things considered, this film is a worthy sequel to the first Wicked and receives my highest recommendation.

Wicked: For Good is now showing in movie theaters across the United States.

Details

• Rating Certificate: PG (for some suggestive material, action/violence, and thematic material)
• Studios & Distributors: Universal Pictures | Marc Platt Productions | Ontario Interactive Digital Media Tax Credit | The South Australian Film Corporation
• Director: Jon Chu
• Written By: Winnie Holzman | Dana Fox
• Country: United States | Canada | Australia
• Language: English
• Run Time: 137 Mins.
• Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1
• Release Date: 21 November 2025