MOVIE REVIEW: WICKED: FOR GOOD

 

Now demonized as the Wicked Witch of the West, Elphaba lives in exile in the Ozian forest, while Glinda resides at the palace in Emerald City, reveling in the perks of fame and popularity. As an angry mob rises against the Wicked Witch, she'll need to reunite with Glinda to transform herself, and all of Oz, for good.

Director: Jon M. Chu

Cast: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, Bowen Yang, Marissa Bode, Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Goldblum

Release Date: November 21, 2025

Genre: Family, Fantasy, Musical, Romance

Rated PG for action/violence, some suggestive material and thematic material.

Runtime: 2h 17m

Review:

Wicked: For Good concludes the story started in last year's Wicked with a return to the vibrant world of Oz with a more pensive, thoughtful and darker story carried by another pair of stellar performances from Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande.  Jon M. Chu displays confidence behind the camera as he delivers a series of visually engaging set pieces that provide the same kind of spectacle from the first film even though this entry lacks the number of memorable songs from that film.  "Wonderful" and "No Good Deed" leave the biggest impression once it’s all said and done with Erivo bringing the house down during the latter's performance.  The rest of the songs are all well staged and performed but there's nothing as catchy as "Wonderful" or "No Good Deed" and definitely nothing coming close to the songs in the first film.  It’s mainly due to the subject matter getting more contemplative with plenty of introspection from our central characters about their decisions and repercussions.  While this entry might not be as bubbly and fun as the first half it does offer a lot more emotional "meat" for Erivo and Grande to work with.   Cynthia Erivo continues her strong work from the first film as she continues her battle against Jeff Goldblum's Wizard after being made the villain by Michelle Yeoh's Madame Morrible who is now his propaganda chief.  Erivo brings a sense of self-determination to the role that just shines offscreen even when her character faces doubt about her mission.  The character's story arc is peppered with subtext that adds to the overall resonance of the film especially if you choose to read it allegorically as a mirror to the real world.  Through it all she's effortlessly engaging in the role although this entry gives Ariana Grande's character more depth and pathos.  Grande proves to be more than up to the task by giving a more nuanced, layered performance than her first go around. She's able to convey so much emotional turmoil as she struggles with her personal battle with imposter syndrome and being a figurehead puppet against her best friend.  Her and Erivo scenes together, especially in the final act, carry so much emotional weight thanks to their natural chemistry together which serves as the lifeblood of this entry.  This entry is much more laser focused on them with the supporting cast mostly relegated to smaller roles with Michelle Yeoh and Jeff Goldblum doing the most with their limited screen.  There's plenty to appreciate about Wicked: For Good but it does lag in spots which leaves you with the feeling that with some judicious edits on both films this whole story could have been fit into a single film especially since original stage production was a little under 3 hours long to begin with.  

A-

MOVIE REVIEW: WICKED

 

Misunderstood because of her green skin, a young woman named Elphaba forges an unlikely but profound friendship with Glinda, a student with an unflinching desire for popularity. Following an encounter with the Wizard of Oz, their relationship soon reaches a crossroad as their lives begin to take very different paths.

Director: Jon M. Chu

Cast: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, Bowen Yang, Marissa Bode, Peter Dinklage, Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Goldblum

Release Date: November 22, 2024

Genre: Fantasy, Musical, Romance

Rated PG for some scary action, thematic material and brief suggestive material.

Runtime: 2h 41m

Review:

The big screen adaptation of Wicked is a massive spectacle, almost to a fault, as it assaults nearly every sense in a colorful cornucopia of sights and sounds.  Jon M. Chu's film shoots a dizzying kaleidoscope of visual imagery onscreen paired with the kind of large scale choreography you'd expect from this kind of production.  People who hate movie musicals should steer clear of this film since it unapologetically embraces its source material.  It’s a lavish production that's sure to win a bevy of awards on that merit alone with the impressive amount of world building on display.  Oz is wonderfully rendered in all its CGI glory with the central setting of Shiz University coming to life like a brighter, slightly older Hogwarts.  There's a lot to take in but none of it would work as well as it does if the two central performances from Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande weren't as engaging as they are.  Ariana Grande is great fun as she perfectly channels Kristin Chenoweth as the vacuous, self-absorbed Glinda with impressive gusto.  Grande's performance is likeable and fun even as she's playing a bulldozer of a mean girl, friendmeny in the first half of the film.  She brings a likable effervescence to the role which keeps the character from coming off as truly mean spirited.  It’s a big showy role that she nails from start to finish while Cynthia Erivo has a slightly tougher task with a more layered character.  Erivo proves to be up to the task as she manages to convey the character's tough exterior with a lingering sense of melancholy from being ostracized her entire life.  There's plenty of nuance in her turn which cycles through a range of emotions which is strangely reminiscent of Sissy Spacek's performance in 1976's Carrie.  They share wonderful, natural chemistry together onscreen that's paired with their immense vocal talents make the film work as well as it does.  Jonathan Bailey, Michelle Yeoh and Jeff Goldblum have small but importance supporting roles with each bringing their specific energy to the performances to great effect.  If there is an issue that works against this all is the film's slightly bloated runtime which start to turn its final forty minutes into an exercise in attrition.  There's plenty of moments that linger on for longer than needed and they would have benefited from some judicious edits to make it a more streamlined, effective film.  That doesn't mean that Wicked Part One isn't an enjoyable cinematic journey even though it's noticeably bloated in the long run.  

 

B+