There’s an old showbiz adage that says if you can’t stick the landing, at least make sure you fly spectacularly.
Wicked: For Good, Jon M. Chu’s glossy follow-up to last year’s unexpectedly charming first installment, certainly flies — often, loudly, and with an avalanche of CGI feathers — but it doesn’t quite land. Which is ironic, given the title’s promise of finality. For Good, it turns out, mostly means for busy.
Where the previous film left off (and very much picking up, not reintroducing), Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) is now officially demonized as the Wicked Witch of the West, living in exile among the Ozian forest canopy.
She continues her righteous crusade to free Oz’s silenced Animals while attempting to expose the carefully manicured lies of The Wizard (Jeff Goldblum, who leans into his genial menace with jazz-hands flair).
Meanwhile Glinda (Ariana Grande) is now fully minted as the shimmering symbol of Goodness, enjoying palace life in Emerald City- parades, press, perks, and pearls while being strategically deployed by Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh doing icy efficiency) as Oz’s emotional support influencer. If that all sounds like a lot, it’s because it is.
Wicked: For Good doesn’t so much unfold as hustle. It feels less like a sequel and more like the second half of a very long movie that was chopped in two — less narrative progression than narrative obligation. There’s plenty happening, but much of it registers as franchise “busy work”: chase scenes, confrontations, magical skirmishes, and plot threads that feel less meaningful than mandatory.
The greatest letdown is the lack of that ineffable spark which made Part One sing. Quite literally, too. By the way, why did they ditch the “Part One, Part Two” nomenclature for this second installment?
For a musical, this is a surprisingly song-light experience when it comes to emotional impact. There’s no showstopper on the level of “Defying Gravity.” There’s a lot of singing, but no signature number that lifts the film out of its plot mechanics and into goosebump territory.
Instead, we get wall-to-wall action, CGI tomfoolery, and effects that range from impressive to distractingly questionable. Oz has rarely looked busier — or more synthetic. The allegorical backbone about authoritarianism, propaganda, and fake news remains, but it comes with less bite this time around. The thoughts are there, but their impact is eased by show and repeat, like a civic lesson delivered during a fireworks show.
It’s all very noisy for something that, in the end, seems emotionally quiet. That said, give credit where credit’s due: the flying monkeys are magnificent. Genuinely unsettling, full of menace, and clearly modeled with fond reminiscence toward the nightmare fuel from the 1939 original. They’re one among very few elements that reclaim for a moment or two the darker magic of Oz – and yes if you squint there exist some eyebrow-raising visual parallels to the staffing of the D.C. White House. Coincidence?
Oz is watching. Wicked: For Good doesn’t turn out bad as much as it mildly deflates. It’s certainly not one for lovers of art films, and may not even be able to fully satisfy Team Glinda or Team Elphaba diehards. That’s a shame because I wasn’t the target for the first film either, but I liked that one quite a bit.
This time round, magic feels processed, the heart a little harder to locate. Is it for good? Not quite. More like for now, with fingers crossed that Oz finds its soul again- if not magically, then at least musically.
MPAA Rating: PG.
Runtime: 137 mins
Director: Jon M. Chu
Writer: Stephen Schwartz; Winnie Holzman
Cast: Cynthia Erivo; Ariana Grande; Jeff Goldblum
Genre: Action | adventure
Tagline: You Will be Changed
Memorable Movie Quote: "You're the Only Friend I've Ever had."
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Official Site:
Release Date: November 21, 2025
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:
Synopsis: Elphaba, the future Wicked Witch of the West and her relationship with Glinda, the Good Witch of the North. The second of a two-part feature film adaptation of the Broadway musical.
