My Review of Wicked: For Good (2025)

 

Written by Winnie Holzman And Dana Fox

Directed by Jon M. Chu

Elphaba: "You're the only friend I've ever had."

Glinda: "And I've had so many friends... but only one that mattered."

The most anticipated sequel of the year and of course, it would be at the tail end of 2025. Given the high bar that Wicked: Part I set up, could this second half stick the landing? I actually think it did. I really do.

Things certainly changed between movies. Elphaba Thropp (Cynthia Erivo) became the most hated woman in all of Oz with the likes of Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh) and the Wizard (Jeff Goldblum) doing their best to keep it that way. They've also elevated Glinda Upland (Ariana Grande) into their official mascot for goodness.

It was a role that Glinda was a bit too happy to uphold. Despite not being able to make magic of her own, Glinda was happy to use a bubble to float over Ozians while also springing a surprise wedding on the increasingly conflicted Fiyero Tigelaar (Jonathan Bailey). Glinda really was living in a bubble that was about to burst.

Going back to Elphaba, it was hard for her to be seen as a villain while secretely trying to be a revolutionary as well. None of the animals trusted her and the ones that were starting to ended up turning against her thanks to the Cowardly Lion (Colman Domingo). Elphaba really had very little allies. 

Then there was her relationship with Nessarose (Marissa Bode). It had soured as the movie progressed and the latter had shown her own cruelty with her treatment of Boq (Ethan Slater). The latter in particular had a transformation put upon him that would turn him against Elphaba and Nessarose as he unwillingly became the Tin Man.

Things in the first half did move slowly but fortunately everything from Elphaba and Glinda's reunion onwards sped things up. Elphaba almost came to a truce with the wizard until his mistreatment of animals reared it's head and Fiyero choosing Elphaba over Glinda put Nessarose in danger and added Dorothy Gale (Bethany Weaver) into the mix. That and some devious spellcasting from Morrible herself.

I think we all knew the second half would have to factor Dorothy in some capacity and we got a different-ish slant on The Wizard Of Oz in between the Elphaba/Fiyero love story and the latter's transformation into the Scarecrow. The movie committed to showing as little of Dorothy as possible while also making sure that the Wicked Witch of the West ended up getting melted.

Of course, this wasn't Dorothy's movie. It was Elphaba and Glinda's movie and their friendship/love story of sorts were always going to be the highlight. In the third act we had them literally scrapping with each other while also professing their love to one another. Both Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande sell it to perfection, including at least one moment that did make me cry a little.

By the end of the movie, both the Wizard and Morrible have got their just desserts, Glinda finally managed to live up to actually being good and two characters assumed dead were very much alive. More importantly and keeping with the title, everyone had been changed for good.

- Elphaba being the Wizard's daughter made it into this adaptation. The animals were forced to make the yellow brick road. The Flying Monkeys also defected to Elphaba.

- Nessarose now could fly thanks to the silver shoes. In the stage versions, they made her able to walk.

- I quite like that Tin Man and Scarecrow look like slightly upgraded versions to their 1939 counterparts.

- I was hoping this movie would recreate the Broadway and the last scene actually did. 

- Standout music: The obvious ones first - Every Day More Wicked, Thank Goodness/I Couldn't Be Happier, Wonderful, As Long As You're Mine, No Good Deed and For Good. New songs like No Place Like Home and The Girl In The Bubble have the desired effect.

- Chronology: Five years passed since the events of the first movie. Elphaba and Nessarose's father died between movies.

Wicked: For Good might be the best movie I've seen this year and while it's not as perfect as it's predecessor, it damn well hit the right spots either. All of the performances are superb but Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande and Jonathan Bailey really delivered with every single scene. I loved this.

Rating: 9 out of 10 

My Review of Wicked: Part I (2024)

 

Written by Winnie Holzman And Dana Fox

Directed by Jon M. Chu

Glinda: "Don't be afraid."

Elphaba: "I'm not afraid. It's the Wizard who should be afraid of me."

With only five and a bit weeks left for 2024, do we have the movie of the year with the first part of Wicked? Now that would be falling into hyperbole but maybe this will be the best movie of the year. I just loved this one so much that I'm eagerly anticipating the second part already.

For those of you who've never read the book or seen any stage production in the last twenty years, this movie basically gives a lot of context between the unlikely friendship/rivalry between Elphaba Thropp (Cynthia Erivo) and Galinda Upland (Ariana Grande-Butera). Their whole relationship drove this first part throughout.

The movie started with the aftermath of the Wicked Witch of the West's death and the now named Glinda admitting to the citizens of Munchkinland that they were once friends. Then the movie would go on to depict that friendship between the unlikely pair. 

We cut to Elphaba being an outcast in her own family to the point where her own father despised her but loved younger sister, Nessarose (Marissa Bode). The latter was also attending Shiz university with Elphaba being forced to chaperone her younger sister before coming into contact with Galinda and impressing Dean of Sorcery, Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh).

The rivalry between the popular Galinda and the outcast Elphaba propelled the first half of the movie. Both took a delight in undermining the other but once, the handsome and rebellious Prince Fiyero Tigelaar (Jonathan Bailey) entered the fray, things certainly took a turn for the better between Elphaba and Galinda.

We actually got to see the two of them form a bond with each other as well as their individual ones with Fiyero. The latter in particular had a connection to Elphaba that he didn't quite have with Galinda. When the last animal teacher in the university, Dr Dillamond (Peter Dinklage), Fiyero stepped up in a way that impressed Elphaba. Fiyero doesn't appear as much as I hoped but every scene he's in was a joy to watch.

As for the Wizard (Jeff Goldblum) himself. This wasn't a kind depiction of an already dubious at best character from the original source material. He's a selfish man who manipulated Elphaba for his own selfish ends to seize control over Oz along with Morrible. There's a beautiful moment towards the end of this first part that highlighted the complexity of Elphaba and Galinda's relationship before the former took control of her own destiny. At no point in this movie was I not on Elphaba's side.

- The opening sequence actually shows Dorothy Gale with the Scarecrow, Tin Man and Cowardly Lion. The former as a cub is also set free by Elphaba and Fiyero.

- Ethan Slater does a good job as smitten munchkin, Boq. His side romance with Nessarose was actually quite sweet.

- We didn't get ruby slippers but we didn't get silver shoes either. Nessarose's footwear choice were more jewelled.

- Even I cheered when Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenowith popped up during one particular scene. 

- Standout music: It's the obvious choices but for good reason. Defying Gravity, What Is This Feeling, Popular, Dancing Through Life, The Wizard And I and No One Mourns The Wicked.

- Chronology: Depicting the younger years of both characters with the opening scene being after the events of The Wizard Of Oz of course. Wicked: Part II releases on November 21st 2025.

I absolutely adored Wicked: Part I. I know there's a month to go but I think this will be my favourite film of 2024. As someone who wasn't initially sure about Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande-Butera, I am more than happy to admit to being wrong here. They are absolutely incredible as Elphaba and Galinda and Jonathan Bailey just lit up the screen as Fiyero. An absolute triumph.

Rating: 9 out of 10