Film review: ‘WICKED: FOR GOOD’ by Nick Gardener from ‘Built For Speed’
Last year’s Wicked, the first in a two-part film adaptation of the smash hit stage show, was a pop cultural sensation; a fun frothy musical fantasy that seemed to fill the void in major event escapist cinema left by the conclusion of the Harry Potter films. It was also a remarkably effective vehicle for the prodigious talents of its leads Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo. Consequently, few films in recent years have had as much salivating expectation as the sequel Wicked: For Good. While this second instalment has many wonderful elements, a flimsy and meandering plot sees it fall just short of its magical predecessor.
The film leads off directly from the finale of part one with Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) now an outlaw in Oz for having challenged the Wizard (Jeff Goldblum) and his sinister plot to enslave Oz’s talking animal population. Cruelly labelled the Wicked Witch of the West and the victim of a smear campaign by the Wizard’s eager lieutenant Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh) Elphaba has become alienated from everyone she knows. Meanwhile, her former bestie, the so-called Good Witch Glinda (Ariana Grande) is ascending the ranks of Oz society and is preparing to marry the Prince Charming-like Captain of the Guard, Fiyero (Johnathon Bailey). Elphaba’s quest to restore justice to Oz sets her on a collision course with her closest friends.
The plot of this film feels oddly thin and lacking narrative drive. Apart from some scenes of self-examination and confrontation between Elphaba and Glinda, all of which culminate in a power ballad, Wicked For Good often just seems to be tying up threads and awkwardly inserting references to the original Wizard of Oz. This is partly due to the film being based on a musical where establishing the scenario for a song can take precedence over plot development.
The fact that this film is more focused on Elphaba’s exclusion is a double-edged sword. It means Wicked: For Good doesn’t have the quite same comic spark as the first one (although Ariana Grande has some delightfully quirky moments) but it’s often more poignant and moving. Cynthia Erivo lends considerable dramatic weight and pathos to the character of Elphaba and her situation is often genuinely affecting. Also, a film about an ostracised woman challenging a deceitful carnival huckster-like male authority figure in the Wizard has more than a little resonance today.
As a musical, the songs are about as frequent as in the first film and the tunes seem pretty similar but there’s no absolute standout like ‘Defying Gravity’. While the songs become a little repetitive they still give us a chance to enjoy Erivo and Grande’s sensational voices.
One of the most striking aspects of the first film was director Jon M Chu’s fantasy world building with ornate production design, stunning costuming and swooping shots of pastel-coloured cities and sprawling fields. All those elements are still here and again the film looks pretty remarkable but because we’re now used to Chu’s vision of Oz, this movie doesn’t have quite as much visual impact as part one.
Wicked: For Good is in many ways a victim of the first film’s success as Wicked raised expectations so high. In shifting to a darker more dramatic tone, this sequel isn’t quite the whimsical experience the first one was and with some noticeable padding it feels about 20 minutes too long. Despite these issues, the film mostly honours the characters that were so beloved in the first film and gives them at times unexpected emotional impact.
Nick’s rating: ***
Genre: Drama/ Fantasy/ Musical/ Comedy.
Classification: PG.
Director(s): Jonathon M Chu.
Release date: 20th Nov 2025.
Running time: 137 mins.
Reviewer: Nick Gardener can be heard on “Built For Speed” every Friday night from 8-10pm on 88.3 Southern FM.
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