Wicked: For Good, the second half of Jon M. Chu’s intensely imaginative big-screen adaptation of Stephen Schwartz’s acclaimed musical, is among the most anticipated films of 2025, and is poised to dominate the multiplex until James Cameron’s return to Pandora with Avatar: Fire and Ash next month. But is the conclusion to Glinda and Elphaba’s tale worth the wait? Yes, mostly.
My wife ensured I was educated on all things Oz before the first Wicked film debuted last November, so while I am familiar with the Broadway show, I am by no means an expert nor am I a superfan. And from that perspective, I really enjoyed the visuals, the songs and – most of all – the performances of Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo as Glinda and Elphaba, the “good” and “wicked” witches we all know from the Frank L. Baum book and the timeless 1939 film. Jeff Goldblum – who I have an intense bias toward as a Jurassic Park fan – is also suitably weird and sinister as The Wizard and has a lot more to do this time around, standing out in ways I did not expect. All that being said, there were three things about Wicked: For Good that bothered me.
- There are two new songs in the film: “No Place Like Home,” sung by Elphaba, and “The Girl in the Bubble,” sung by Glinda. Although they’re both written by Schwartz, they feel on the nose, tacked on and kind of redundant from a story perspective. Which leads me to my second point.
- This movie is 2 hours and 17 minutes. It’s shorter than the first Wicked, but there’s a lot of fluff added – especially at the end – that could have probably been excised. I’m certain there’s a brilliant four-hour cut of Wicked just waiting to be made at some point down the road, either by Universal Pictures or a passionate fan.
- This is a marketing nitpick, but I really can’t get past the fact that the first film’s title card reads “Wicked: Part 1” and the second film’s title card reads “Wicked: For Good.” This asymmetry should not stand!
Should you see it? Yes, absolutely. Wicked, in totality, is an unparalleled two-part cinematic experience, brimming with wonder and craftsmanship. But the second half is definitely weaker than the first (although if you ask die-hard fans, the same could probably be said of the Broadway show).
Oh, and if you are as worried as I was that they would garishly use a deepfake Judy Garland as Dorothy in this film, rest assured that they do not. Thank Oz.
Side note: If you see Wicked: For Good at an AMC theater, try the Fanta Wicked Witch tie-in flavor. Trust me.
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