‘Wicked: For Good’ Was Just Okay

Wicked: For Good advertisement poster

Just like Mariah Carey said: It’s TIIIMMMEEE!!! Released on November 21st, 2025, the year-long wait for the second act of beloved musical Wicked just came to an end. From the release of the first film, Wicked: Part 1, directed by Jon M Chu, starring Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba Thropp and Ariana Grande as Glinda Upland, the film has garnered a large following and audience eagerly waiting for the next act. And what we got from the movie musical was just… okay. Not bad, not good, just okay. 

It was quite a hectic day trying to get to the theatre on time. My sister and I sped through lanes and traffic lights just to watch Wicked: For Good. And when we got there, there were three grandmas sitting in our seats! We argued back and forth, tickets were shown, managers were about to be called, until finally we EARNED our seats back. It was just the most confusifying experience! I was so happy to sit down and see the starting credits of the movie. And oh boy, I was not expecting that.

For those unaware: Wicked is a movie adaptation of the Broadway musical of the same name. The musical is a prequel that tells the story of Elphaba Thropp and Glinda Upland and their time at Shiz before the events of The Wizard of Oz takes place. It tells the story of who the villains were before they became a villain. The Broadway musical production of Wicked was a smash hit with fans before a movie was even announced. Fans have always loved Wicked for its creative storytelling, catchy songs, and lovable characters. With Wicked: Part 1 earning a rating of 88% on Rotten Tomatoes and 7.4/10 on IMdb, the second act did not live up to the standards set by first with rating only a 68% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 7/10 on IMdb. 

But let's not get ahead of ourselves. Wicked: For Good cannot be talked about without the mention of Wicked: Part 1. The darker tone of the second act directly contrasts with the fun, family-friendly view of the first. The story tackles political issues in the land of Oz, as new laws imprison the animals who once ruled it and strip them of their voices. First-time viewers may find this message jarring, with the allegory of the animals being extremely relevant today. However, this darker tone isn’t the main issue. It’s what is being done to upkeep the dark tone which affects other aspects of the movie such as songs, character arcs, and pacing. 

A photo of the cast of Wicked: For Good. From left to right: Bowen Yang (Pfanee), Ethan Slater (Boq), Jonathan Bailey (Prince Fiyero), Ariana Grande (Glinda), Cynthia Erivo (Elphaba), Michelle Yeoh (Madame Morrible), Marissa Bode (Nessarose), Jeff Goldblum (The Wizard of Oz)

Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba Thropp continued to be the vocal powerhouse of the whole movie. Erivo, who is Broadway trained and has many years of experience, vocally dominates the second act with her rendition of “No Good Deed,” “As Long as You’re Mine” with Jonathan Bailey, and a touching duet with Ariana Grande for the Wicked Finale song, “For Good.” Wicked: For Good also features a new song made for the movie, “No Place Like Home” sung by Erivo as Elphaba reflects on why she continues fighting in Oz. However, there was a stark contrast between the first and second film in Elphaba’s character, as it seemed she was sidelined in favor of Glinda's backstory and future in the second film. There actually weren’t any notable solo songs besides “No Good Deed” whereas Wicked: Part 1 had “The Wizard and I,” “I’m Not That Girl,” and most importantly, “Defying Gravity.”

Ariana Grande shocked many people by being chosen to play Glinda Upland, with many saying that her fame as a pop star will take away from the story. However, after seeing her in the first film, she proved them wrong, taking on the beloved role of Glinda The Good and making it her own. Grande is no different in the second movie, upholding her performance and giving Glinda a more mature and delicate character. Grande performs the fan-favorite “For Good” with Erivo, and performs a new song “The Girl in the Bubble,” adding layers and depth to Glinda’s character. She does a good job of continuing on Glinda’s storyline as Act 2 shifted over to her character. 

However, not all actors received the best review. Many online have been discussing the changes made to Madam Morrible’s key solos in the song “Thank Goodness,” which were replaced by spoken lines as Michelle Yeoh is not a skilled singer. Madam Morrible’s solos were not just to create a melody, it actually drives forward the storyline and plot. Many fans wondered why Michelle Yeoh was even casted, as she is only an actor in a movie-musical, and not a singer. And also thanks to her, my new favorite saying is “Madam Morrible, MM, flip it around, Wicked Witch!”

Michelle Yeoh showing her "Madam Morrible, MM, flip it around, Wicked Witch!"

Similarly, Marissa Bode as Nessarose was a huge letdown. Her performance of the song “The Wicked Witch of the East” fell flat and didn’t nearly convey the emotions and character development that Nessarose had. Additionally, the movie adaptation decided to make her character much more ambiguous with her evilness than the Broadway version, not showing the full extent of her corruption. Don’t get me wrong, I think both Michelle Yeoh and Marissa Bode did a great job of acting out their character. Singing it though?? Yeah, not so much. I don’t believe that it’s a harsh statement that people want to see singers get casted in musicals. It’s fair criticism, especially when lines are cut out, emotions fall flat, and the full understanding of the plot is lost due to the actor’s inability to sing in a movie musical. 

A large issue for me is the runtime of the movie. Jon Chu somehow turned a 2 hour and 40 minute show into a nearly 5 hours total worth of film. Though it is nowhere near as long as the first movie, the movie was still quite long, falling at a 2 hour and 18 minute runtime. It somehow felt both rushed and dragged out. There were multiple times during the movie that I said to myself, “that could’ve been cut out.” The pacing was extremely botched, since they dragged out unimportant, boring scenes, and rushed through pivotal, exciting ones. Because to be honest, I would rather watch Elphaba fly around with her flying monkeys when she decided to become evil than watch Glinda cry on the staircase for the 3rd time in the movie. (And this is not a review of the first Wicked movie, but I just needed to mention this. They somehow turned Defying Gravity, a song that is AT MOST 5 minutes long, into a 20 minute long scene. I was absolutely baffled when I first saw it, and honestly it's the only scene that I can excuse for being too long, but things just needed to be cut.)

Jon Chu, Director of the Wicked movie franchise (center) with Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba (left) and Ariana Grande as Glinda (right)

The audience also must understand that Wicked: For Good is NOT a sequel. It is not the second installment of a franchise. It is the end of a story. Jon Chu paid respects to the musical by splitting the two movies up, with the year-long wait time acting as “intermission.”

And while I have a lot to say about the pacing and the plot, it wasn’t entirely the movie’s fault. It was always going to be that way just because that’s how the musical was written. The audience’s reaction to the second act has ALWAYS been mixed, even in its early shows on Broadway. Act 2 has always been the issue with the unnecessary love triangles, plot holes, and an intense shift in tone. So I understand how new viewers of Wicked can be surprised. However, this was always going to happen. It’s Act 2 of Wicked! It’s ALWAYS going to be worse than the first one. So for those of you upset with the ending or the plot: you’re not upset with the movie. You’re upset with the book.

Wicked: For Good ended up being just okay. Was that unexpected? No, not really. It’s almost a self-fulfilling prophecy at this point. The ending is the weakest part of Wicked in all of its wonderfully magical forms both on stage and in the theatre. But that doesn’t mean it’s bad. Since the beginning, Act 2 was a not-so-beautiful ending to a beautiful show. It earned many bad reviews from critics just because of the second act. And when a Broadway show gets that many bad reviews, it’s most likely on the chopping block and might literally be cancelled. However, with 2 new movie musicals and fans of over 20 years, it’s clear to say that the bad reviews didn’t stop it from becoming immensely popular. 

Fans of Wicked already know to not go in with extremely high expectations, because you’re most likely going to be let down. But if you're also going in with the idea that this is already going to be the worst film you’ll ever see, then it probably will be. So go in with an open mind! Just relax, enjoy, maybe fight some grandmas, because who knows? You might actually love it. If you learned anything from the show, it is the lesson that there is no such thing as perfect. But even then, you might still find it beautiful.