Wicked: For Good Rides a Bubble of Unrealized Potential

Wicked: For Good

★ ★ ½

Wicked: For Good is the sequel to last year’s smash hit musical. For Good relies heavily on the good faith that Wicked: Part One earned by pleasantly surprising audiences with a fun, musical, adventurous time at the movies. In the stage play, several years are compressed into 45 minutes. Elphaba is hardly seen as she leads a “resistance” offstage. Here, we’re given more content than the Broadway hit, with an expanded story and political fare. But the story arc feels rushed in spirit, despite its 140-minute runtime. Character development seems like an afterthought as we clunk our way through.

The thing is, almost everything added works to the story’s benefit. But it’s incoherent at times, stretching threads of drama to their breaking point just to force them to connect. The story doesn’t evolve naturally. It lacks the bravado and grand drama of the previous film.

It’s missing at least a couple more passes on the screenplay.

Ariana Grande as Glinda
© 2025 Universal Pictures

Picking up after the conclusion of Wicked: Part One, Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) is now branded the villain of Oz and Glinda (Ariana Grande) is propped up as “the good witch.” The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (Jeff Goldblum) and Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh) have implemented a government propaganda campaign to turn the public against Elphaba. Since Glinda doesn’t have magical powers, Madame has built a vehicle for her—one that creates its own large bubble. It allows her to get around Oz and spread good cheer and display fake magic.

Pamphlets and brochures are dropped into public squares. Courtyard gatherings are held to brainwash Oz. The Wizard is wonderful. Glinda is good. Elphaba is bad. It’s as if Oz had a television set in every home.

Ariana Grande, Bowen Yang and Bronwyn James
© 2025 Universal Pictures

The magical, talking animals are exiled and they’re made to believe this is Elphaba’s doing. Glinda gets engaged to Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey) after an odd, forced proposal orchestrated by Madame. Of course, there’s a love triangle surrounding Glinda, Fiyero and Elphaba which fails to sincerely extract any serious drama. I hate to say it, but the script would benefit from a wash of soap opera.

The script really loses its steam when it delves heavily into Oz’s political territory. Certainly we need some of this to understand how Oz can turn against Elphaba and how her friendship with Glinda can fracture. Goldblum is made for this role, but his character overstays his welcome. Yeoh’s portrayal of Madame is wooden, uninspired and boring. Surprising, given Yeoh’s turn in Everything Everywhere All at Once and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

Jonathan Bailey and Ariana Grande
© 2025 Universal Pictures

Erivo and Grande still carry the chemistry of their friendship, despite being pitted against one another. It would have played better if the conflict that threatened to tear them apart carried more emotional weight on screen. As it is, it’s lackluster and flat.

There’s a scene where we get hope the film might find its feet and take flight. Elphaba has had enough being the wizard’s puppet. She declares that she’s not going to be good any more, and everything around her shakes and rumbles at the power of her anger. Red lightning strikes and illuminates clouds in the distance. It’s the most powerful scene in the film—a turning point for her. The kind that makes us wonder how Elphaba and Glinda could ever be friends again. I sat up in my seat a little.

And then they did nothing with this, failing to capitalize on the awe-inspiring turning point.

It makes me wonder how much time was given from the screenplay’s rough draft to what was greenlit and deemed production ready.

Jeff Goldblum and Cynthia Erivo
© 2025 Universal Pictures

The musical numbers are largely unmemorable, favoring more talk-singing over epic numbers like Defying Gravity. It’s not that the music is bad, it just lacks refinement and memorability. Wicked: For Good should stand as a triumphant epitaph opposed to the quick-build, haphazard story we’re given. With more refinement, this could be a musical fantasy for the ages.

Wicked: For Good doesn’t defy gravity, but it does sort of get off the ground in a vehicle powered by a large bubble floating over Oz. It’s just too bad the bubble burst before it was ready. I might have believed the magic was real.