Wicked: For Good Review

Wicked was one of the biggest hits of 2024, earning $759 million at the box office, acclaim from audiences and critics, and earning awards recognition. The sequel has become a highly anticipated film because of this success.

Five years after the events of Wicked, Elphaba Thropp (Cynthia Erivo) has been leading a resistance against the Wizard of Oz (Jeff Goldblum) and freeing enslaved animals. These actions have made her feared across Oz. Elphaba’s old friend, Glinda (Ariana Grande), has been elevated to be Glinda the Good and become a propaganda figure for the Wizard and Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh), whilst Morrible seeks a way to defeat Elphaba

Wicked: For Good is set to be a big hit like its predecessor, but the reviews haven’t been as positive. It has a modest 70% on Rotten Tomatoes, and some critics have been harsh, like a Robbie Collin giving it a one-star review, and New Yorker’s review was titled ‘”Wicked: For Good” is Very, Very Bad.’ Wicked: For Good did have more disadvantages than the first film, since most of the best songs like “What is This Feeling”, “Popular”, and “Defying Gravity” were frontloaded into the first act, and the second act was more dependent on the original Wizard of Oz story, especially the 1939 film version.

Wicked: For Good was far from terrible, but it was a downgrade compared to Wicked. The follow-up was darker: it opened with the construction of the Yellow Brick Road, with animals used as slave labour. Oz turned into an overtly fascist regime with positive posters of Glinda and scary posters of Elphaba plastered across the Emerald City. This made Wicked: For Good comparable to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, where the public was in a state of despair because of an existential threat.

Segregation was developing across Oz, with animals suffering more overt discrimination. Nessarose (Marissa Bode), the governor of Munchkinland, enacted a law that banned both animals and Munchkins from leaving. The animals were trying to escape Oz. Elphaba discovered that a prison filled with animals was a dark scene for anyone who loves animals. This version of Oz was modelled on slavery-era America and pre-war Nazi Germany.

The movie’s darkness extended to what happened to the transformation of some characters. It was body horror done with a PG rating. It’s not the first time an Oz story has imagery that can traumatise children; just watch Return to Oz.

The final dark pillar was the music. Wicked was filled with upbeat song-and dance-numbers, and Defying Gravity was a banger of a closing number. There was a lot less dancing, with the major dancing sequence being in “Wonderful.” The big songs in Wicked: For Good were “No Good Deed” and “For Good.” “No Good Deed” was a song of pain and sorrow, which was brilliantly performed by Erivo. “For Good” was a tender song about Elphaba and Glinda’s friendship, where both were emotional. “March of the Witch Hunters” played like “The Mob Song” from Beauty and the Beast, where the people of Emerald City prepare to attack Elphaba.

There were new songs in Wicked: For Good. These songs were made to reference songs from the first film, like “Dancing Through Life” and “Defying Gravity.” The best new song in “The Girl in the Bubble” was Glinda’s version of “I’m Not That Girl,” a song of self-doubt as the young woman tries to figure out what action she should take.

Wicked: For Good was Glinda’s story. She got more of the screentime and had the bigger dilemma. She was torn in many different directions. Glinda wanted to be loyal to her friend since she knew the truth, but was willing to be the voice for the Wizard because she could keep the people of Oz’s morale up and believing she could influence the powers that be. The opening songs in Wicked: For Good mirrored “No One Mourns the Wicked” since both showcased the childhoods of the main characters. In Glinda’s case, she always wanted to be a witch who could bring goodness and delight to the world. Her arc was that she needed to earn her title ‘Glinda the Good’ and prove she’s more than a vain airhead. Glinda was given more depth.

One of the story threads in both films was the love triangle between Elphaba, Glinda, and Fiyero. In Wicked: For Good, Glinda and Fiyero were made into a celebrity couple, but Fiyero and Elphaba were in love with each other, leading to conflict between the pair and the funniest scene in the film. Yet, the relationship between Elphaba and Glinda was framed as if they were in love with each other, as seen in a flashback scene, and it seemed like Fiyero was the third wheel.

Wicked was a hard act to follow, and Wicked: For Good doesn’t match the heights of its predecessor. But it does stand out for being a darker, more mature film.