Recently, I saw an article noting that, only a year removed from “Wicked,” the first half of Jon M. Chu’s blockbuster adaptation of the beloved musical, Universal was scaling back their marketing push for part two. The logic was simple: anyone who knows “Wicked” is already showing up for the much-hyped conclusion, “Wicked: For Good.” The reality, however, is a bit more complicated. Audiences who aren’t deeply familiar with the musical, or who, like me, saw it once and forgot key plot elements, are going to be reminded very quickly that Act II of the Stephen Schwartz behemoth doesn’t deliver the same show-stopping bravado as “Defying Gravity” or the poppy, upbeat jolt of “Popular.” In other words, the show is front-loaded, and the movie inherits that imbalance.
Which means “Wicked: For Good” needs more substance under the hood to sustain a two-hour film, and it quietly raises the question of whether Hollywood got too greedy by splitting the story into two movies. The weaker elements of Act II, especially the absence of musical bangers (despite the filmmakers trying to add some fresh additions to the catalogue), feel even more exposed on the big screen. Instead, “Wicked: For Good” leans into a somber, character-driven journey. For the most part, that works, yet the surprisingly lackluster visual effects (especially during the standout ballad “No Good Deed”) leave the film feeling oddly deflated just when it needs to soar. It’s bigger, longer, and trying hard to recreate the cultural lightning strike of part one, but lightning rarely strikes twice.
What does work here, unsurprisingly, is what worked before: Ariana Grande’s plucky Glinda (Gah-linda) and Cynthia Erivo’s green-skinned Elphaba. These iconic “Wizard of Oz” characters are the beating heart of this saga, and both actresses were born to play them. Grande is delightful and emotionally grounded, and Erivo remains a powerhouse vocalist who will almost certainly be back in the awards conversation.
The story picks up five years after part one, placing the former best friends on opposite sides of Oz’s political divide. Elphaba wants to expose the Wizard, played again with a charming daftness by Jeff Goldblum, even if his vocals and dance skills don’t quite match the stage version. Meanwhile, Oz’s propaganda machine has turned Elphaba into a public menace, plastering cities with fear-mongering posters and rumors that paint her as a magical monster.
This angle gives the film a sharper political edge than its predecessor. It also fills in gaps leading up to the events of “The Wizard of Oz,” and to Chu’s credit, he enhances that classic story without trying to remake it. The movie eventually aligns with the famous narrative beats, though Dorothy never appears, and watching the Tin Man, Scarecrow, and Cowardly Lion emerge from unexpected circumstances is genuinely fun. Their motivations for hunting Elphaba are far more complicated than the original film ever implied, and a moment like Elphaba’s “I’m off to see the Wizard” lands with the same theater-kid thrill as Steve Rogers saying, “Avengers Assemble.”
Still, the emotional core of “Wicked: For Good” is the fractured bond between Glinda and Elphaba. Their climactic duet “For Good,” the film’s namesake, hits the exact sentimental high note audiences expect, and I doubt there will be many dry eyes in the theater. But by that point, the movie’s pacing issues and narrative bloat make it hard to ignore how much strain the two-part structure places on a story that already worked within a three-hour Broadway runtime.
The expanded format allows for more character beats, and it sets up a “Harry Potter”-styled magical showdown between Glinda and Elphaba in Munchkinland, but entire cinematic sagas (think “Goodfellas” or “Pulp Fiction”) have managed to cover sweeping timelines in a single sitting. Meanwhile, the supporting cast gets stuck with material that feels like padding. Jonathan Bailey’s smoldering Fiyero, Michelle Yeoh’s fierce Madame Morrible, Marissa Bode’s Nessarose Thrope, and Ethan Slater’s Boq Woodman all give committed performances, but many of their songs feel like obligations rather than essentials. Everyone is doing the work, but not everyone has material worthy of their talent, and at times even the music itself can sound a bit out of pitch.
But the film’s saving grace, again, is its pairing of Grande and Erivo. Erivo can belt to the heavens, and Grande brings surprising depth and strength to a role that could have leaned too heavily on its flamboyance. Their chemistry is the backbone of this saga, and without them, it’s hard to imagine “Wicked” landing nearly as well as it does. Did we need a story that works onstage at under three hours to stretch beyond two movies? Maybe not. But it does pave way for more emotional nuance and extra breathing room that a singular episode might not have otherwise provided.
By the time the curtain falls, it’s the vulnerability between Glinda and Elphaba that stays with you. Watching them evolve, separate, collide, and ultimately understand one another reminds you why this story resonates so deeply with so many people. The movie can feel overcrowded, and Chu cannot resist stuffing every frame with Oz pageantry, ceremonies, and choreography, but those indulgences are forgivable when the emotional foundation feels this sturdy. I’m not sure “Wicked: For Good” changed me for good, but its identity, sincerity, and character-driven approach make the trip down the Yellow Brick Road worthwhile.
WICKED: FOR GOOD opens in theater Friday, November 21st.