One year after the Academy Award-winning “Wicked” was released, the highly anticipated second act, “Wicked: For Good,” premiered in theatres on November 21, 2025. The film follows the iconic 2003 Broadway musical’s second act storyline with a few new additions. The movie picks up after Elphaba’s (Cynthia Erivo) and Glinda’s (Ariana Grande-Butera) choices changed Oz. Glinda, now the face of Oz, uses her “magic” to “protect” everyone, while Elphaba is in hiding trying to expose the Wizard as a fraud.

The opening act announces the engagement of Glinda the Good and Captain Prince Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey). Much to his surprise, Governor Nessarose (Marissa Bode) rules Munchkin Land and shrinks Boq’s (Ethan Slater) heart when he expresses his love for Glinda. The Wizard persuades Elphaba to become “Wonderful”. Captain Fiyero double-crosses The Wizard and Glinda by leaving with Elphaba, finally revealing his love for her. Glinda, feeling betrayed, helps plot revenge. 

After a series of heartbreaking and shocking events, Fiyero is taken by the guards and is tortured mercilessly, but luckily, Elphaba casts a spell so that he never dies. A riot breaks out as the citizens of Oz circle a band of heroes who are on their way to kill the Wicked Witch. The nearly 3-hour film ends with a bittersweet moment between Elphaba and Glinda, recalling their friendship and apologizing for the things they both share blame for.

The performances from both Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande-Butera were immaculate. Erivo’s stoic stance gave the “Wicked Witch” role a more understanding side, while still showing the outward appearance of “evilness” that the citizens of Oz believed. She became more secluded, self-excluding from her public portrait and ultimately accepting her fate in the end. Definitely a darker, serious take on the character that I feel Erivo nailed perfectly, with “angry” dialogue, I could really feel the intense emotions of Elphaba’s passionate purpose. Glinda’s mature, public persona shows glimpses of her younger self. She gives off a “fake” perfection to hide her guilt and regret for helping spread the words of the Wizard. Still her bubbly self, most, if not all, of the humor stems from Glinda’s personality and Grande’s acting chops shining through. Ariana’s ability to break down in tears at any time amazes me; her facial expressions and muscle control in her face really showcase her growth as an actress and the love she put into this role.

The “Wonderful” musical score, composed yet again by Stephen Schwartz, stayed true to his original score for the Broadway hit. The film borrows or refers to the songs in the first movie, with the opening act of “Every Day More Wicked” using the same rhythm as in “No One Mourns The Wicked. We also get a “reprise” of “I’m Not That Girl” but from Glinda’s perspective after being left at the altar.  I thought that the music was very catchy, especially “Thank Goodness” and “No Good Deed.” 

In my opinion, the first movie’s soundtrack was more memorable at first listen, with the second part, the tracks have to “grow on you”, the same cannot be said about the closing number “For Good.” It’s heartbreaking circumstances and lyrics really stuck with me and fully displayed Ariana and Cynthia’s emotional vocal abilities. Schwartz worked with both Grande and Erivo, writing and composing two new songs, “No Place Like Home” and “Girl In The Bubble.”

I love the new additions to the soundtrack in these two songs; they really feel like original Broadway ballads that should have been in the original stage production. They add layers to both Glinda and Elphaba’s stories that the musical didn’t fully explain. Having Elphaba sing the iconic words spoken by Judy Garland to convey her love for the home that hates her hit me like a gut punch; it’s just too ironic. Glinda’s self-reflecting solo shows a much more raw emotion in her character. To have the witty, self-absorbed girl wanting to reject her perfect persona in the wake of all that’s happened shows the audience that she has had a major character development shift.  

To me, the effort to write brand new songs to an already beloved soundtrack shows just how much this film meant to everyone involved. It really paid homage to the original novel, while also retelling the amazing broadway show’s plot; it was truly a sight to see right down to the silver slippers.

​This movie did not disappoint on all counts. Director John M. Chu once again gave us a real look into Oz with the amazing structures and gorgeous scenery; all throughout, I felt like I was looking outside a window. Seeing the screen adaptations of the origins for the beloved characters from Author Lyman Frank Baum’s novel was very interesting, having all the main characters be involved in the future events taking place in “The Wizard of Oz” was like watching puzzle pieces click together. The utter shock I felt in the theatre as the film revealed dark and unexpected origins of Dorothy’s future companions, showing exactly how far Elphaba would go to save those she loved, and the permanent, heartbreaking forms they had to take as a result was satisfying to experience. 

The makeup artists did a fantastic job, but I felt uneasy seeing the silver paint and burlap prosthetics on Slater and Bailey; the effects were so realistic it was actually frightening at times. Another comment the makeup has been getting is that audiences are pointing out that Jonathan Bailey, in his makeup, looks, funnily enough, like Ryan Reynolds, and I, too, see that correlation. The CGI used in the movie was minor, a few fake animals here and there but overall the sets, confirmed by John. M Chu were all real and structured just for the film. In fact, about 9 million tulips were planted at Belmont Nurseries in King’s Lynn, Norfolk, UK to create the majestic poppy fields for the opening title card featured in the first film.

The year-long wait, in my opinion, was worth it. I rate this movie a 10/10 just for its beautiful recreations and respectful retelling of the original story. The tears that came from the theatre after that gut-wrenching ending were intense; there was more sobbing and conflicting emotions from the audience than in the first movie. 

I can’t recommend this movie enough. It’s a perfect movie for fans of the original 1939 film and for the die-hard Broadway production stans. Even for those unfamiliar with the story’s history, “Wicked: For Good” is a good time and a good cry. If you hate musicals, then you probably shouldn’t watch this movie. It’s packed full of beautifully written songs and fun sequences bound to make you dance or sing along. 

Being rated PG, I will say there is a very suggestive song between Elphaba and Fiyero, along with a very visual gore scene that, in my opinion, makes it PG-13. The acting is so moving and incredible from both Grande and Erivo, especially after knowing that the closet scene was improvised by both girls, which makes their performance so much more heartfelt.  This sorrowful conclusion to the story leaves just one question for you, the audience, to ponder. “Are people born wicked? Or do they have wickedness thrust upon them?”