Wicked: For Good (2025) is directed by Jon M. Chu, featuring a screenplay by Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox. It stars Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Marissa Bode, Ethan Slater, Colman Domingo, Bowen Yang, Bronwyn James, Aaron Teoh Guan Ti, Keala Settle, Sharon D. Clarke, and Bethany Weaver. The film adapts the second half of the Broadway source material, following Elphaba (Erivo) as she comes to terms with her new role as Oz’s “Wicked Witch of the West.” Meanwhile, Glinda likewise struggles to accept her title as Oz’s protector, “Glinda the Good,” despite having no magical powers to speak of. As dark secrets and hidden enemies are revealed, the two former friends are forced to make costly decisions that ultimately seal their fates as representatives of both good and evil.

Considering that this was shot as one production alongside Wicked (2024), it’s no surprise that the various performances are of equal quality. Both Erivo and Grande bring their characters to life with oodles of emotion, proving they weren’t cast solely for their singing. That being said, their voices are once again stunning in their power. The supporting characters also get more of a chance to shine due to the inherent weight of this being the story’s climactic half. We finally see how certain characters respond to hardship, giving the viewer a better understanding of their core personalities. For example, Jonathan Bailey better showcases his acting skills because of the inherent weight of his character’s journey. A lot of the supporting characters weren’t challenged/changed until the end of the previous film, so it’s nice to see that they’re finally developed to become more complex this time around. 

The sets and scale are once again beautiful to behold, but, like so many other aspects of the film, they lose much of their luster on a second visit. This would be fine if the movie also gave us some new elements to enjoy, but it mainly relies on the same types of set pieces and visuals. This also extends to the music, which unfortunately proved my biggest fear. I was worried that splitting the film into two parts would result in each entry lacking a satisfying number of memorable songs. Unfortunately, the film proves those fears and doesn’t contain even one new song that I can remember only 3 hours later. The most memorable musical numbers are actually rehashes of the first film, which is a big disappointment. If I ever feel like watching a musical, I struggle to see why I’d ever choose this over its predecessor. 

Besides the forgettable songs and the inherent fact that part twos lack the freshness of part ones, the only real issue I have with the film is its shoddy connections to the original Wizard of Oz (1939). The film often integrates Dorothy and her journey in an intelligent, faithful way, but then does the opposite, and makes confusing choices that retcon the origins of certain classic characters. At one moment, the story wants us to think this fits perfectly with the source material, and at another, it makes changes that create massive plot holes. It wants to have its cake and eat it too, which results in the story making little sense if one stops to think about it for more than 30 seconds. 

Overall, this is a serviceable wrap-up to the Wicked story, though it is the weaker half. As a standalone experience, it has a few issues, but I imagine it’ll play better when viewed back-to-back with part 1. If you liked the first film, you should have no problem enjoying this sequel, even if you think it’s lesser. It’s predictable, and a lot of the charm is lost, but it’s a natural continuation that’s enjoyable despite being at least 30 minutes too long. I’ve stated it once, and I’ll state it again: This would’ve been a fantastic 3-hour musical, but money talks, and two movies will always be more lucrative than one. B-