A Review of ‘Wicked: For Good’
It was an entertaining film and a fun conclusion to “Wicked,” though it’s not appropriate for children and has some glaring plot holes.
Warning: This review contains spoilers.
Over the past week or so, many have flocked to theaters to see the final installment of “Wicked” starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande. Last year’s part one of the musical was amazing for its brightly colored sets and amazing vocals. It ended in triumph, with Elphaba (soon to be the Wicked Witch of the West) flying on her broomstick after declaring war against the fascist regime instituted by the Wizard of Oz, a con artist, and Madame Morrible, his press secretary and the power behind the curtain.
Part two of the musical, “Wicked: For Good,” was entertaining as well, though if you were hoping for Elphaba (played by Erivo) to begin her revolution, you’re sadly mistaken. She ineffectually tries to convince anyone and everyone she can to join her side, but no one will. Even the animals whose rights she is standing up for prefer to flee rather than fight alongside her. Eventually, Elphaba decides to fake her own death so that Oz can have the opportunity to start again.
What makes “Wicked” good?
The film effectively portrays female friendship. Glinda (played by Grande) and Elphaba are best friends by the end of part one. In part two, Glinda is now part of the propaganda infrastructure. She wants everyone to be happy and for Elphaba to no longer be enemy number one, but blindness to the oppression of the Wizard’s regime ignites a series of betrayals, leading to deaths. Elphaba ineffectually continues her revolution, and every well-intentioned action goes to pot, which drives her to misery and despair. Both women hurt each other deeply, but they ultimately end the show by singing about forgiveness and the meaningfulness of their friendship.
The movie doesn’t sugarcoat Elphaba’s descent into her final vengeful, wicked form. She has Dorothy kidnapped, only to retrieve the slippers. Elphaba realizes that she has no power to really change her world, and everything she touches seems to get twisted. Her only viable choice is to leave and hope that Glinda can fix what she couldn’t.
The costumes, set, and staging were just as great as in the first installment. I particularly enjoyed the circular openings and set pieces during Glinda’s new song, “Girl in the Bubble.”
What makes it bad?
The vocal performances from Grande weren’t as strong in the second installment. This may not be entirely her fault, as there really aren’t many strong songs in the second act of the musical. Grande’s interpretations fell flat, particularly in “I Couldn’t Be Happier.” She had an opportunity to make that sequence emphasize the inner conflict between continuing to ignore the regime and doing what’s right.
The new songs created by composer Stephan Schwartz — who wrote the original score — were unsuccessful at worst and forgettable at best. “No Place Like Home” especially fell flat. It didn’t really showcase Elphaba’s character or Erivo’s voice. It also didn’t really add to the plot. “Girl in the Bubble” was more successful because Glinda recognizes her mistakes and decides to save her friend. However, the tune is forgettable.
Nessa’s slippers were a forgotten plot point. The horror of Glinda giving those shoes to Dorothy was expressed to a degree. Elphaba even has Dorothy kidnapped to reclaim the shoes. However, after Glinda and Elphaba make up, that plot driver fizzles.
The PG rating was a little too generous. The sensual portrayal in “As Long As You’re Mine” alone should have earned it a PG-13 rating.
What politics are they trying to portray?
The film’s opening advertisement is about the environment, using Elphaba’s green skin and animal rights activism to promote environmentalism ecofascism. It makes moviegoers wonder if “Wicked” is about animal rights. It’s not — it’s about the defense of individual rights in the face of an oppressive regime.
One of the new songs, “No Place Like Home,” was an attempt to give Erivo an anthem with which to rally her animal troops. She explains that even though Oz has never loved her (because she’s different and green), she believes in Oz, “a promise and an idea.” However, that promise or idea is never explained. These lyrics are reminiscent of the Left’s claims that America is an “idea.”
In their press tour, Erivo and Grande continue to insist that “Wicked” is an LGBTQ+ film and that Oz was always gay. That’s utter nonsense. These two successfully portrayed a wonderful female friendship on screen, yet they had to pervert it on their tour.
The Daily Wire’s Megan Basham points out that “Wicked” was always a conservative fairy tale. “The narrative is built around skepticism of centralized power, distrust of media manipulation, and a fierce defense of objective truth,” she writes. Leftists have been the proponents of centralized power (universal healthcare), media manipulation (Hunter Biden’s laptop), and the demonization of objective truth (transgenderism). Elphaba is by definition trying to conserve Oz as the way it was, not radically change it because she believes it’s evil.
The movie is also a cautionary tale about what happens when a father figure is absent from a young woman’s life. Elphaba doesn’t go to see her sister when their father dies of shame. She also may or may not have realized that her biological father was actually the Wizard of Oz, but in a sense, she is rebelling against her biological father here, too. Elphaba may be fighting for individual rights against a terrible regime, but she’s also fighting against feelings of abandonment and betrayal by the men who were supposed to be her protectors. Glinda, on the other hand, comes from a two-parent household with loving parents, and ultimately, she is the one who ends up on top.
There was also a concerted effort to pick brunette actresses for the role of Glinda and her younger self and make them blonde. This obviously unnatural coloring gives a bit of “Stepford Wives” vibes. It’s also likely a political commentary on the perception that blonde women are more associated with political power and privilege. Glinda, as a beautiful blonde whose raison d'être is being popular for the sake of wielding power and privilege, still uses that power and privilege at the end of the movie to bring about change that Elphaba could not.
Glinda is given the ultimate power — magic — as long as she uses it for good.
The producers tried to turn this story into a leftist screed, particularly with the fighting against an absent father and the system and starting a revolution. Some critics saw this as a dig at America’s “fascist” regime under President Donald Trump. Ultimately, though, I think that falls flat.
Off-screen drama.
Like all movies, there was a lot of off-screen drama. Most of the drama centered on the stars, Erivo and Grande, and their very unhealthy appearance and co-dependent red-carpet relationship.
There was a lot of commentary from both sides about the obvious thinness of the leading cast members, and even Michelle Yeoh (who plays Madame Morrible). They look emaciated, skeletal, and unwell. Pundits on the Right are genuinely concerned. Those on the Left want you to know that commenting on other people’s bodies is a grave faux pas and that we should all be “body positive.” Here’s a video to demonstrate just how dramatic the changes were:
Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande before vs after Wicked.
— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) November 23, 2025
What happened to them? pic.twitter.com/x9x3GmrjFo
Uncomfortable press interviews with Grande and Erivo continue. During their press tour, the women made a spectacle of themselves by being overly dramatic, clinging to each other, and weeping at the drop of a hat. What could have been written off as theater antics now comes off as really, really weird.
For example, here’s when they were asked to read each other’s aura:
wait i just peeped ariana described cynthia as sunshine and cyn described ari as sunset… THIS SOULMATEISM KNOWS NO BOUNDS…. pic.twitter.com/sbkEROl3eJ
— h 🎀 (@uplindas) November 7, 2025
And here’s when Erivo “fixed” Grande’s not-messed-up necklace:
Esse vídeo é extremamente incômodo e cheio de camadas. O colar da Ariana está perfeito, mas Cynthia faz questão de mexer e remexer durante a entrevista, sem motivo.
— Fernanda Salles (@reportersalles) November 4, 2025
Adoraria ouvir a análise de um psicólogo sobre essa relação estranha entre Cynthia Erivo e Ariana Grande. pic.twitter.com/SME23sUBpj
This behavior was explained as the pair being close friends but curious about what a romantic relationship would be like. Either way, their public personas remain off-putting to the average person.
Conclusion
“Wicked: For Good” was an entertaining film and a fun conclusion to the “Wicked” musical. It is not appropriate for children and has some glaring plot holes that should have been accounted for.
Is it as good as the first? No. Was it watchable? Yes.
