Wicked For Good, the long-awaited sequel to the 2024 hit Wicked, was released on November 21, 2025. Directed by Jon M. Chu, the film has been promoted through an extensive tour featuring appearances by Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, and Sexiest-Man-Alive Jonathan Bailey. The buzz was indomitable leading up to its release. Trailers promised high-stakes drama, magical battles, and the continuation of Elphaba and Glinda’s story that would leave the world in tears (much like Cynthia and Ariana in every interview).
I had the pleasure of seeing Wicked For Good early, thanks to an advanced screening hosted by Brown University’s Ivy Film Festival. The experience was delightful. Watching the film with a reactive, engaged audience brought moments of laughter, gasps, and applause that added an extra layer of energy to the screening. That said, if you haven’t yet, I’d recommend reading my review of the first Wicked movie for context, as many of my thoughts compare this sequel to the high bar set by the original.
Warning: Spoilers Ahead!
There is No Recovering After Defying Gravity
Wicked For Good never recaptures the magic that made the first movie so unforgettable. The climax of Defying Gravity in the original film served as a perfect crescendo. It elevated the stakes, gave every character a defining moment, and left the audience breathless. In Part Two, every scene feels like a reiteration of the last: the stakes are perpetually high, the intensity unrelenting, and the narrative momentum never builds in a meaningful way. It’s like watching a two-hour-long end scene. Sure, the musical itself has structural constraints, but the advantage of cinema is that filmmakers can adjust pacing, insert new beats, or reframe conflicts to avoid monotony. Director Jon M. Chu largely bypasses these opportunities, leaving the film feeling flat and predictable in ways that its predecessor never did.
A Story About Female Friendship Becomes Male-Centered
One of the most baffling choices in Wicked For Good is how it centers the plot around a literal fight over a man. Elphaba and Glinda’s tension—originally a nuanced exploration of friendship, rivalry, and self-discovery—is reduced to a love triangle with Fiyero at the center. While I adore Jonathan Bailey’s portrayal, his character wields far too much influence over the narrative, overshadowing the women’s relationship, which has always been the emotional heart of the story. Wicked has always been, in Idina Menzel’s words, “really a love between two women.” Shifting the spotlight to a male character diminishes the story’s feminist core, turning what should have been a celebration of female friendship into a conventional romantic drama. Hollywood needs to give this trope up. It’s a misstep that’s hard to overlook.
Lost the Musical Feeling
Musicals thrive on powerhouse numbers and choreography. Wicked For Good delivers only two standout songs: No Good Deed and For Good. But even these moments feel lacking. There’s no sweeping choreography and no ensemble magic. The musical numbers are stripped of their theatricality, replaced with a polished, almost Disney-action aesthetic. It feels less like a musical and more like a musical-adjacent blockbuster, which is a strange tradeoff for a story that began as pure, exuberant theater in film form.
Way Too Much CGI
I was disappointed to see how much CGI was used knowing that the first movie barely used any. The first movie relied on practical effects and subtle touches to make Oz feel tangible, and it worked beautifully. Here, Chu leans heavily into digital special effects. Again, this feels reflective of the tradeoff Chu made, sacrificing a transitional musical feel for Blockbuster movie styles. CGI Jeff Goldblum will haunt me.
Saved by the Performances
We can ignore Jeff Goldlum and Michelle Oh’s performances. I have nothing good to say about that. But Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey, and (shockingly) Ethan Slater knocked the house down. I’m deceased.
Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande deliver show-stopping turns, channeling the emotional core of Elphaba and Glinda with precision and power. Jonathan Bailey’s mastery of body language underscored his tension between security and integrity. Ethan Slater’s acting transformation from Boq to the Tin Man was more impressive than the visual transformation. He managed to transition a sweet-natured character into a vengeful, almost-villain seamlessly.
Some Wicked Play Faults Were Corrected
Since the film runs longer than the play, Chu was able to make some corrections and add context that the play was missing. Without saying too much, we get more background information about the characters that helps us see what motivates their decisions. There is more development of how Elphaba becomes with Wicked Witch. The animals take more of a center role in being what drives Elphaba to rebel against Oz. And finally, the ending creates a full-circle moment that isn’t included in the play. These changes pull a heavy load in redeeming this film.
Final Thoughts
In the end, Wicked For Good is a frustrating follow-up: visually dazzling in parts, occasionally emotionally resonant, but consistently undermined by narrative missteps and an overreliance on spectacle. While the performances shine, the story and musicality fail to land the way the original did. After leaving the theater, I was left underwhelmed, nostalgic for what could have been, and ultimately grading this film a 2.5/5 on Letterboxd.