Wicked: For Good (2025) Review!!

Synopsis – Follows 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.

My Take – Released last year, director Jon M. Chu’s adaptation of one of the most beloved Broadway musicals of the 21st century, that loosely adapted the Gregory Maguire novel, Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West (1995), and re-imagined the classic film The Wizard of Oz (1939) by showing the Wicked Witch of the West as a misunderstood protagonist, was both a massive critical and commercial success.

Unsurprisingly, raising the hype of the climactic conclusion of the musical duology, with the opening weekend being projected to be as high as $150-180 million. Figures it might reach, as the resulting film is a solid follow-up that leaves behind the giddy humor of its predecessor and is an altogether more grown-up affair, even when it soars & stumbles in equal measure.

Containing all of the great parts of the first film, from its opulent sets, heart-wrenching musical numbers, to its the perfect lead cast, yet arriving with its own set of problems. By all accounts, this is the much more difficult half of the story to pull off, as it’s where the musical in particular gets much denser and incorporates many more direct elements from ‘The Wizard of Oz‘ narrative. Although overstretched and prone to interrupting the narrative flow with too many songs, it is thematically richer and more emotionally engaging than its predecessor. Where the first film sparkled with buoyant musicality, the sequel tightens its grip on character, consequence, and the cost of choices that define destiny.

Even if the execution doesn’t always hit, director Chu and his team demonstrate that they truly care about the project, and it shows on the screen as the film delivers on being entertaining, grandiose, and visually stunning. It could have been better, but what is there is also truly remarkable.

Set a few years after the events of the last film, the story once again follows Elphaba Thropp (Cynthia Erivo), who is still on her mission to expose the Wizard (Jeff Goldblum) and Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh). Though demonized as the Wicked Witch of the West and moved to living in exile in the Ozian forest, Elphaba remains dead-set on drawing back the curtain on the Wizard’s fakery and saving the lives of all the sentient Animals who are progressively forgetting how to speak.

Meanwhile, Glinda Upland (Ariana Grande), despite her continuing love for Elphaba as a friend, has been positioned as the Wizard’s spokesperson ‘Glinda the Good’ and is engaged to Fiyero Tigelaar (Jonathan Bailey), now Captain of the Wizard’s Guard and tasked with capturing the witch. And as the escalating war leads to attacks and fallout on all sides, the arrival of a farm girl from Kansas will play a pivotal role in ending the conflict for good.

Like its predecessor, this one too is a showpiece when it comes to production values, hence, every single frame is beautiful to look at and provides the ultimate experience when it comes to visuals. Also, props to cinematographer Alice Brooks for blocking and lighting the actors exceptionally well against the rich production design of Oscar winner Nathan Crowley. You feel like you’re in this fully realized world thanks to an effective mix of in-camera sets and digital enhancements.

Here, director Chu picks up the narrative right where the first film stopped, and the sequel moves with more purpose, the conflicts sharpen, and the emotional weight finally lands with the force longtime fans always hoped for. And with that shift, the film opens its arms wider, to the political undertones, the iconic Oz imagery, and the deeper, more aching journeys of Elphaba and Glinda. With the Wizard’s regime echoing striking parallels to real-world political manipulation: creating fear, manufacturing enemies, and weaponizing charm.

The friendship that is frayed by circumstances and tested by external forces is at the heart of the film, resulting in lovely scenes between Elphaba and Glinda. Their chemistry—now strained, fractured, and more complex—becomes the emotional core of the film. In its strongest scenes, the film becomes a moving tale about friendship outlasting fear.

It explores what it means to rewrite your place in the world, how power bends truth, and how two young women break free from stories assigned to them. Hence, when the film reaches its final duet, it becomes clear: this story needed two films, not just for scale but for soul.

That being said, the songs themselves aren’t very memorable compared to the first film and take ages to finish, hereby effecting the overall pacing. Another hindrance here appears in the form of the story’s reliance on almost all the major plot points of the ’39 classic, most of which happen completely off screen with no attempt on the film’s part to fill the audience in.

Nevertheless, the central performances ensure the narrative remains compelling. Cynthia Erivo brings in yet another fierce, aching turn. Erivo does her best to navigate Elphaba’s enigmatic swings from poor soul to rebellious fighter to malicious force who buckles under the consequences of her well-intended actions.

Ariana Grande is, as ever, delicate and doll-like as Glinda, who is no longer just the sparkling figure we met earlier. Grande brings both vulnerability and steel, showing how a girl raised on applause learns to make choices that cost her far more than popularity. Together, Grande and Erivo create the emotional heartbeat of the film. Their chemistry has deepened; their scenes crackle with affection, resentment, and unspoken history.

Jeff Goldblum is once again excellent as the Wizard, Michelle Yeoh goes delightfully full vamp and Jonathan Bailey is still likable even though he has pivoted to a much more serious, less campy, more passionate Prince. In supporting roles, Marissa Bode, Ethan Slater and Colman Domingo are effective too. On the whole, ‘Wicked: For Good‘ is an uneven yet compelling sequel that is darker, bolder, and more emotionally charged.