** WICKED: FOR GOOD. Directed by Jon M. Chu. With Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jeff Goldblum, Jonathan Bailey and more.
JORDAN OSMAN reviews
Following on from Wicked (2024), expectations were set high for Wicked: For Good (2025), once again directed by Jon M. Chu. The sequel to one of the best musicals in recent years picks up an unspecified time after Wicked Part One left off.
Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) is seen conducting airborne (broom-borne?) guerilla warfare on Oz’s soldiers who are using enslaved animals to build the iconic Yellow Brick Road. Meanwhile, her pink and chirpy counterpart, Glinda (Ariana Grande), has become a “spokesperson” for the Wizard (Jeff Goldblum), the Ozian equivalent to an Instagram influencer, and is dubiously engaged to Fiyero Tigelaar (Jonathan Bailey).
The film has two main storylines: one that connects the narrative of Wicked to The Wizard of Oz, and one that explores the relationship between Elphaba and Glinda. Unfortunately, the film shares these two storylines as well as bitterly divorced parents with joint custody of a delinquent child. The narrative lurches between shallow backstories of prominent Oz-related iconography (Yellow Brick Road, Tin Man, etc.) and Elphaba’s “struggle” as an outcast. And though this sounds perfect on paper, neither storyline is given adequate attention, making the film feel overly long and narratively hollow.
It appears that, besides Elphaba, the songwriters have also gone green given how often they reuse and recycle music and motifs from the first film. Consequently, the sequel feels more like an extended edition than its own film; irrevocably tied to its predecessor.
Not all thunderclouds …
It’s not all thunderclouds though; “As long as you’re mine” is lovely duet between Elphaba and Fiyero with the main motif of “No One Mourns the Wicked” mediating the poppy ballad with a foreboding undertow. Bailey is a competent partner whose voice is confident and clear, though the Bridgerton star is expectedly eclipsed by Erivo, whose vocal prowess is consistently wonderful to behold. The following number, “No Good Deed”, is a worthy showcase of Erivo’s dynamic and tonal range paired with dark and fiery arcane visuals that stands out as one of the film’s more original spectacles.
Elphaba and Glinda’s relationship barely changes from the end of Part One, despite a myriad of plot contrivances intended to disrupt them. Conflict between the two witches feels more like bickering than anything verging on real drama; this plateau in character chemistry results in a story that feels like its stalling for time.
Their relationship culminates in the film’s finale, “For Good’’ which doesn’t come close to the goosebump-inducing climax that was “Defying Gravity” but features some effective emotional moments between ‘Elphie’ and Glinda nonetheless.
Green and pink musical
Overall, Wicked: For Good is worth seeing if you are a fan of Wicked (2024) and want to see more of it without such cumbersome things as “plot” or “character development” getting in the way. But, if you would rather preserve the pristine image of Part One, then it might be best to wait for the more popular numbers to be released on YouTube in the upcoming months.
In short: A green and pink musical with superb singing but a sub-par plot. Why you would see it: You liked the first film and didn’t read this review.
What: Wicked: For Good review
Where: At selected cinemas
WS
