Wicked: For Good

It seems like it was just yesterday that we were experiencing “Wicked Mania.” Theaters were packed, and everyone was singing at the top of their lungs to songs like Popular and Defying Gravity. Theater kids everywhere were counting down the days til chapter two — and we can only assume training their lungs again — now we return to Oz for the final act of the musical that took the world by storm.

After her escape from Oz, Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) has one mission: to show everyone what a fraud the Wizard (Jeff Goldblum) really is. Meanwhile, those loyal to the Wizard are doing everything they can to make Elphaba look like a wicked witch who only wants to cause destruction. Leading that charge is Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh), who has also positioned Glinda (Ariana Grande) as the person who will stop Elphaba, giving her the title “Glinda the Good.” Unbeknownst to Morrible, Glinda still believes in Elphaba, and even thinks she might be able to convince her to see things the Wizard’s way.

No one can find Elphaba, who only appears briefly to sabotage certain projects in Oz. But the news of Glinda and Fiyero’s (Jonathan Bailey) wedding is enough to draw her back. It’s then that Glinda almost brings her back into the fold, as Elphaba and the Wizard even strike a deal. However, the Wizard has secrets, and once Elphaba discovers them, her hatred for him burns hotter than ever.

Written for the screen by Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox, Wicked: For Good picks up right where the first film left off — but where the first part soared, this one struggles to get off the ground. The biggest issue is how detached For Good feels from the first film, missing the relationship arcs and emotional evolution that gave part one its power. Also weighing it down is how stretched-out this second chapter feels; the momentum of the first film’s ending evaporates almost immediately. This was supposed to be the dramatic payoff from act one, yet although it reaches an ending, it never feels like the payoff it promised.

Wicked: For Good is never quite able to rekindle the energy of act one, and while there are strong moments, this second half never really sinks its hooks into you. Where it does succeed is in delivering some unexpected twists, and in leaning into its commentary on political corruption. And when you add the continued star power of Grande and Erivo — who once again blow the doors off with their performances — there’s enough here to keep this chapter slightly airborne. Another thing the film gets right is its handling of Dorothy, keeping her presence minimal and trusting the audience already knows that story.

I genuinely liked some of what I saw here, but For Good lacks the powerhouse songs of the first film, and it really struggles through its final twenty minutes as it tries to stick the landing. Wicked cast a spell on a lot of people — it was an event in a way few movies have been in recent years. Unfortunately, the spell breaks here. While there are flashes of familiar magic for casual fans, you start to see behind the curtain. That said, fans of the musical and the die-hards will love this. I just wish I were still under its spell, because while it isn’t horrible, Wicked: For Good lives up to its unintended title more than I’d like.