At the start of ‘Wicked: For Good’, Glinda (Ariana Grande) sings about how getting to live your dream seems a little… complicated. “There’s a kind of, a sort of, cost,” she observes, and trills away. As Glinda is fussed over and coddled at the Emerald City and reminded that she is to keep the spirits of the people of Oz high, Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) is holed up in her forest hideout.
The much-anticipated sequel to the hugely successful 2024 musical-fantasy film Wicked, this sequel, directed by Jon M Chu, lands with sky-high expectations attached. The sequel, like the first film – an adaptation of the 2003 stage musical Wicked by Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman – is a revisionist look at the wicked witch that we have come to know from the tale of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, from the 1900 novel by Frank Baum, and the film adaptation, which was released in 1939.
Wicked:For Good
Language: English
Cast: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh
Director: Jon M Chu
Genre: Musical-Fantasy
Plot: In exile, Elphaba continues to fight for the rights of those turned out of Oz while at the Emerald City, Glinda embraces her growing popularity.
We saw Elphaba ride off on her broomstick at the end of the first film, and now, in the forest, she continues to fight for the rights of the animals of Oz. While a slow but steady crackdown was beginning in the first film, the subjugation is driving the animals out of Oz in large numbers. Elphaba’s sister Nessarose Thorpe (Marissa Bode), the new governor of Munchkinland, is also ready to sign off on a law for permits required for animals to travel across borders. Glinda, meanwhile, remains largely unaffected by these changes, flitting around the palace with the Wizard of Oz (Jeff Goldblum) and Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh) as she prepares to get married to Winkie prince Fiyero(Jonathan Bailey).
Cynthia Erivo, left, and Jonathan Bailey in a scene from “Wicked for Good. (Universal Pictures via AP)
| Photo Credit:
Giles Keyte/Universal Pictures
The film, right off the bat, delves into the tussle between the ‘good’ and the ‘wicked’. Glinda even wonders if they should get cracking on a trademark for the word ‘good’. If she revels in the syrupy, sweet goodness that she absolutely must broadcast, Elphaba is desperate to make a change even as chants grow for her downfall. Glinda is in a hard place, between enjoying all that has been handed to her on a platter despite her lack of magical abilities and her emotional bond with Elphaba, a friend from her past
Ariana Grande as Glinda in Wicked: For Good
| Photo Credit:
Universal Pictures
If Wicked worked on building the world of Elphaba and Glinda, and setting the stage for their eventual confrontation with the wonderful Wizard of Oz, Wicked: For Good takes us closer to the tale of how Dorothy, her dog Toto and her rag-tag team of the cowardly lion, the scarecrow and tin man vanquished the wicked witch of the west. While it is interesting to see how some familiar characters come to be, the writing (Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox) witnesses a chaotic unravelling in the second half that has Elphaba, for instance, take on a most uncharacteristic yet expected detour.
Through its study of the good and the wicked, the film attempts to pack in some subtle commentary about fascist rulers, manipulative bureaucracy, and how people are persecuted for being different. This nuance is often lost in how clunkily it all comes together in the latter half of the film. The first film also greatly benefited from the whimsy and freshness of the setting at Shiz University. Something that one misses in the Emerald City and the dark, imposing chambers of the wizard, even though it works in songs like ‘Wonderful’. The heavy CGI, nevertheless, is just as impressive in the sequel, and the costumes by Paul Tazewell are stunning. Every gown Glinda floats around in looks magical and awe-inducing.
Despite its clunky writing, Wicked:For Good’s ensemble cast pulls through and brings their characters to perfection on the big screen. Cynthia Erivo is excellent as the fierce and determined Elphaba, but as Glinda, Ariana Grande is vulnerable, conflicted and gets her time to shine in the sequel, a massive departure from the cheery sweetness of her character in the first film. The duo has not held back on their praise for each other through their press tour for the film, and it isn’t hard to see why. They sing and dance together like a dream, and play off each other’s strengths onscreen. Jonathan Bailey’s Fiyero is a lot more subdued this time around, however, not lacking in charm.
Wicked:For Good had the challenging task of trying to live up to its very jolly, charming predecessor. There are several stretches that are reminiscent of the music, magic and charm of the first film, and while the film might not be as smoothly paved as the yellow brick road leading to the wizard, this is almost a ‘Wicked Good Finale’.
Wicked: For Good is currently running in theatres
Published – November 22, 2025 06:22 pm IST
