4 out of 5 broomsticks (One of the best of the year)
Wicked For Good was easily my most anticipated movie of 2025. Part 1 took me totally by surprise last year with its delicate balance of lighthearted comedy, dazzling musical numbers, dark themes, and emotional punch, so my hopes for this follow-up soared higher than the Wicked Witch on her broom. Could director Jon M. Chu handle the 2nd act’s darker tone, improve on its flaws from the show, and conclude his 2-part adaptation in stirring fashion? For me at least, the answer is largely yes. Wicked: For Good is an appropriately somber conclusion with strong performances, excellent production and costume design, smartly pulled back musical numbers, and theme of how we impact each other held back by uneven pacing and some awkwardly-sung lyrics.
Following the events of Wicked: Part 1, the green-skinned, powerful Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) has spent the last 5 years attempting to pull the wool up from Oz’s eyes so they can see their “Great and Powerful” Wizard (Jeff Goldblum) for the monster he is and help the oppressed animal residents. Simultaneously, Elphaba’s friend and former classmate Glinda (Ariana Grande-Butera) has become Oz’s figurehead of “goodness” under the begrudging tutelage of Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh), spreading lies of Elphaba’s intentions while conflicted on her place in things. With Glinda’s fiancé and newly-minted Captain Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey) hunting Elphaba down and her sister Nessarose (Marissa Bode) feeling abandoned, all our characters’ paths will recross, allegiances changed, and standpoints tested as each learn what it truly means to be Good Or Wicked.
Wicked For Good is catching a ton of flak for not being as good as its predecessor, and while I agree with that sentiment, I still think it soars where it counts. Director Jon M. Chu made the decision early on in production to split the story in 2 so it had more time to breathe and improve on the show’s flaws, and while this part has issues that bring it down, I still think he succeeded in delivering something great. For starters, the tone here is far darker than the previous one with little levity, the performances are still as strong as ever, and the musical numbers largely swap bombast for emotion. Some songs aren’t as strong as they could be lyrically, but they’re all shot well and move the story, characters, and/or themes along as all good numbers should.
I also appreciate Wicked For Good for mostly sticking to its dark side rather than trying to tone itself down to be a family movie. Propaganda, the demonization of “the other’, and the power of relationships are the core themes here, but the film also highlights the ways in which we affect each other and why good-hearted people should continue doing good even when it’s tough. Cynthia Erivo brings an angrier, more mature edge to Elphaba and Ariana Grande-Butera does very well conveying Glinda’s inner conflict of wanting to help her friend and desiring the public’s accolades. The film wisely slows down for dialogue scenes to play out, though the overall story pacing feels rushed at times. The supporting cast gets more to do, with veterans Michelle Yeoh and Jeff Goldblum making good villains and Marissa Bode and Ethan Slater bringing fresh angst to their characters.
It’s ironic that this chunk of the story still feels rushed despite the 2-part split intending to negate that, but the performances and emotional character payoffs make the crucial moments land. I also sighed relief when the film was able to communicate its darker tone WITHOUT sacrificing its visual vibrance. The song “Now That You’re Mine” also ends with 2 characters in a position I doubt most parents would want to explain to their youngsters, one mother informed me her 5-year-old asked if they could leave 30 minutes before the end, and the kids in my cinema were invisible crickets, so tide the young-ins over until Zootopia 2 later this month.
As much as I’ve praised Wicked For Good so far, it has problems I’m surprised made it through. Some of the lyrics are difficult to hear or sung far too fast, a few of the tie-ins to The Wizard of Oz feel oddly wedged in and won’t make sense unless you’ve seen that film before, and an early plot point that seems like it should be a much larger world issue goes unresolved. A few isolated moments of goofiness are misjudged and it almost rivals Return of The King in the “which ending scene is the end?” game, but the note it closes on left a tear in my eye and happy the adaptation was given this much time, warts and all.
Despite some notable problems, I left the theater feeling inspired and reminded that there is still light in dark times, able to reframe major life events in a different way, and thinking about how some of my closest friends have led to a change in me and hopefully me in them, For Good. Wicked For Good suffers from uneven pacing, awkward tie-ins, and some lesser songs, but succeeds as a story of friendship, fighting for the light, and seeing the good in those around us. If you enjoyed the first part, See it.
Rated PG (but on the higher end of that) for Action/Violence, Some Suggestive Material (One scene shows 2 characters in bed very clearly post-coitus and the song before that shows them sensuously starting to undress one-another), and Thematic Material