Wicked: Part II

Wicked: Part II, or as it is officially called, Wicked: For Good (2025), is a really solid conclusion to Part I that, despite its length and pacing issues, succeeds as an emotionally stirring finale to Universal and director Jon M. Chu's epic two-part film adaptation of the 2003 Broadway musical Wicked and Gregory Maguire's 1995 novel of the same name. While not as lively in tone or as full of musical earworms as its predecessor (save for "Wonderful", "No Good Deed", and the titular "For Good"), this sequel works diligently to deliver the emotional goods from the musical's Act II, with mostly successful results. Spoilers will be covered for those unfamiliar with the Broadway musical, so just a heads up. With that out of the way, on with the review.

Wicked: For Good takes place a year after Part I, and finds Elphaba Thropp (played by Cynthia Erivo), now branded as the Wicked Witch of the West by the propaganda spread by her former mentor, Madame Morrible (played by Michelle Yeoh), as she continues her quest to not only free all of Oz's animal citizens who have been captured and had their voices silenced, but to expose the Wonderful Wizard of Oz (played by Jeff Goldblum) as the fraud he is. Meanwhile, Glinda (played by Ariana Grande) has since accepted her role as Glinda the Good, a public spokesperson for the Wizard, and become engaged to Fiyero Tigelaar (played by Jonathan Bailey), who is continuing to search for Elphaba following the end of Part I. Will the truth about the Wizard and the true nature of Oz come to light, or will our protagonists have to live with the consequences long after it is too late? If you have seen The Wizard of Oz (1939), you might know what to expect.

Once again, the acting 'defies gravity', so to speak, with Erivo and Grande (again credited as Ariana Grande-Butera) knocking it out of the park with their performances as Elphaba and Glinda, respectively. Their shared chemistry, screen presence, and vocal harmonies are second to none as they serenade their farewells in the titular "For Good", which is not only so emotionally engaging and well-directed, but fantastically filmed and edited. There is an especially powerful scene in which the two of them are separated by a door, and both are crying, as they accept their fates. That scene has stuck with me long after my first viewing, and will be the one most people will take away from this movie.

Erivo's turn as Elphaba is much more confident and emotionally nuanced than in Part I as she continues to fight for all the animals' freedom from captivity and oppression (best exemplified by her performance of the original song "No Place Like Home") much like the people of countries currently under attack by strongmen with dictatorial tendencies, while also embracing more of the Wicked Witch of the West persona through the song "No Good Deed", and, as expected, delivers another Oscar-worthy performance. Why this film was snubbed for Oscars in any categories, I will never fully know.

Grande's performance as Glinda is genuinely great; she is not only hilarious but also displays a surprising level of emotional range throughout this film (especially during the second and third acts), and is the movie's standout this time around. Some of her subtle range is displayed during "The Girl in the Bubble", the second of the two original songs written and composed for the movie by Stephen Schwartz, whereupon witnessing an angry mob intent on killing Elphaba, Glinda decides to leave her position of celebrity status and privilege behind and actively oppose the forces at hand, in a sequence carefully simulating a one-shot through Alice Brooks' skillful cinematography and Myron Kerstein's seamless editing.

The supporting cast has more to work with, acting-wise, especially Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero, Ethan Slater as Boq Woodsman, Marissa Bode as Nessarose Thropp, Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible, and Jeff Goldblum as the Wizard. More on the Wizard later.

Jonathan Bailey's Firyero has grown considerably as a character from the carefree prince in Part I to a selfless and emotionally mature man willing to put his literal body and life on the line, serving as a genuinely positive role model for people seeking to develop a healthy sense of self-esteem even in the face of life-altering circumstances. In Fiyero's case, his transformation into the Scarecrow by Elphaba, in an effort to save his life, as he is being brutally beaten and left for dead in a field by members of the Gale Force, whom Fiyero once led, intent on hunting Elphaba down. As he reveals his new appearance to Elphaba at the end, he is thankful for her saving his life, and tells her in reference to his new form, "Good as new."

On the oppposite end of the character arc spectrum, Ethan Slater as Boq undergoes a radical transformation of his own (both emotionally and literally), as shortly after he admits his true feelings about Glinda to Nessarose, an angered Nessarose attempts to cast a magic spell to make his heart fall for her, only for his heart to shrink literally, leaving Elphaba no choice but to spare his life by turning him into the emotionally and literally heartless Tin Man, brought to life through traditional makeup and prosethetics much like Jack Haley's iteration of the character from the 1939 musical. However, unlike Fiyero, Boq is furious at and vengeful towards Elphaba for his new form, and leads the angry mob intent on killing the Wicked Witch of the West during the second act; a stark contrast to Haley's portrayal from the 1939 version.

Speaking of Nessarose, Marissa Bode shows off her character's dramatic range as now-Governor of Munchkinland Nessarose Thropp, following her father's death from a heart attack at the end of Part I. Here, her character's privileged and selfish nature comes to light, as she uses her power as Governor to prevent Munchkins like Boq from leaving Munchkinland without direct permission from her, and demands Elphaba make her happy by Elphaba giving her the ability to levitate (originally the ability to walk in the Broadway musical) before realizing that Boq never truly loved her to begin with, with disastrous consequences for both of them.

Moving on to the rest of the supporting cast, Michelle Yeoh's Madame Morrible is quite cunning and menacing here as the Wizard's Press Secretary and master of propaganda (essentially the Joseph Goebbels of Oz), effectively serving as the film's real antagonist and puppet master who literally sets the stage for Dorothy Gale's arrival in Oz by creating a twister that brings with it the house that lands on top of Nessarose, the now-self-proclaimed Wicked Witch of the East.

As I hinted at in my review for Part I, the casting of the oh-so-charming Jeff Goldblum as the Wonderful Wizard of Oz makes sense in this installment, given how pronounced his character's sleazy charisma is, combined with what I can only describe his character as being an evil and warped amalgamation of Jeff Goldblum, Georges Méliès' turn-of-the-century tinkering with technological smoke and mirror effects, Walt Disney's 'forward-thinking visionary from a small Midwestern town' persona, Gene Wilder's performance as Willy Wonka from Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971), and Charlie Chaplin's titular role from The Great Dictator (1940). To make the latter reference even clearer, there is a visual homage to said film with the Wizard bouncing a globe-shaped balloon around like Chaplin during his number, "Wonderful".

This line delivered by the Wizard stands out to me as an all-too-true commentary on human instincts within brainwashed cults:

"Well, I'm just being straight with you. I could tell 'em that I'd been lying to 'em till I'm...forgive me...blue in the face, but it wouldn't make any difference. They're never gonna stop believing in me. You know why? Because they don't want to."

In addition, during "Wonderful", the Wizard (through Stephen Schwartz's lyrics) references how widespread propaganda and whitewashed history are throughout human culture and society, which also stood out to me:

"A man's called a traitor or liberator, A rich man's a thief or philanthropist, Is one an invader or noble crusader? It's all in which label is able to persist, There are precious few at ease with moral ambiguities, So we act as though they don't exist."

Moving on to this film's technical aspects, which, like those in Part I, are stellar. Namely, the largely practical production, costume, and set designs, makeup and hairstyling, and seamless blending of CGI effects make this movie a highly immersive viewing experience. I could spend hours raving about the technical aspects, but I would be here all day. As I stated earlier, the cinematography and editing are top-notch, as evidenced by Glinda's new song "The Girl in the Bubble".

Stephen Schwartz's songs, combined with composer John Powell's orchestral score, are another winner, elevating this movie's thematic and emotional resonance while also offering something new and compelling, such as Elphaba's "No Place Like Home" and Glinda's "The Girl in the Bubble". The latter two songs may take some getting used to in terms of memorability, but they add additional emotional layers to an already compelling movie.

In conclusion, while Wicked: For Good is obviously not as fun or lively as its predecessor, I have realized that this is a rather underappreciated sequel that ages better upon repeat viewings. Will this film leave as strong a cultural and social impact as its predecessor? Not immediately, but I can see fans hosting repeat and double-feature watch parties where they can find smaller things to appreciate upon the second or third rewatches. I know I did.

Final Score: 8.5 out of 10