Wicked: For Good

Review

I watched Wicked: For Good last night with my daughter, and overall, I liked it. It was not the best film of the year, but it was a good movie to lounge on the couch and enjoy some quality time with her. We didn’t end up hating it, but we also weren’t completely blown away either.

Visually, this movie is still doing a lot right. The color schemes are strong again, just noticeably darker this time as Elphaba’s story moves further into the darker territory of her character growth. That shift is the main focus of this film. We saw the friendship before — now we experience the divide. The question becomes whether that divide is worth it in the end. The choreography is great, the sets are beautifully designed, and once again the cast really commits.

Acting-wise, I don’t have many complaints. Everyone shows up. You can tell they care about these characters and this world.

Character

Technical

Final Thoughts

By the end, I didn’t feel angry or disappointed — just a little let down. This movie has all the right pieces, but it doesn’t always put them together in the strongest way. There are moments where you can feel how great it could have been if it slowed down just a bit and trusted those emotional turns more.

Still, big sets, bold colors, music filling the room — that experience works. Even with my issues, there’s a lot of care here, and you can feel the effort behind it.

I think my expectations were just higher after the first film. There are scenes that hint at something really special, but the momentum slips before they fully land. That’s what makes Wicked: For Good frustrating — not because it’s bad, but because it almost gets there. They’re aiming for something but can’t quite hit the target.

What Worked

• One thing I really appreciated was keeping Dorothy faceless. That was the right call. Dorothy is such an iconic image that putting a new face on her would’ve distracted from everything else. Leaving her just out of frame — seeing only her shadow, or allowing us to see her back, feet, or hands — while still making sure we know it’s Dorothy through her iconic outfit keeps that classic version intact.
• Watching the birth of the iconic trio that joins Dorothy on her quest to see the Wizard — the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion — were some of my favorite moments in the movie. They were fun, meaningful, and didn’t feel forced.
• One scene that absolutely worked for me was the fight between Glinda and Elphaba. The moment where Glinda (Ariana Grande) mocks Elphaba’s new laugh cracked me up. It was absolutely hilarious. It fit the character, didn’t undercut the tension, and felt natural. Honestly, Ariana Grande is my favorite character in this one as well. She’s charming, funny, ditsy — an absolute dingbat with a huge heart — and whenever she’s on screen, I can’t help but giggle and smile.

What Didn’t

• Now, this is where things get a little rough for me.
• Even though Wicked: For Good is still a fairly long movie, it somehow feels rushed. That sounds weird, but that’s honestly how it played. Some moments didn’t have enough time to sit.
• There were several moments where I thought, this should hit harder than it does. Not because the acting wasn’t good — it was — but because the pacing didn’t always give those moments enough space.
• On the flip side, there’s a musical number that really didn’t work for me — “The Girl in the Bubble.”
• The setup of the Wizard of Oz being Elphaba’s father is thrown in your face too often, making the reveal lose its power.