Wicked: For Good (A PopEntertainment.com Movie Review)

Wicked: For Good

WICKED: FOR GOOD (2025)

Starring Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, Bowen Yang, Marissa Bode, Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Goldblum, Bronwyn James, Keala Settle, Aarin Teoh Guan Ti, Adam James, Colin Michael Carmichael, Alice Fearn, Kerry Ellis and the voices of Colman Domingo, Peter Dinklage and Sharon D. Clarke.

Screenplay by Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox.

Directed by Jon M. Chu.

Distributed by Universal Pictures. 137 minutes. Rated PG.

The epic conclusion to the saga of Oz’s beloved witches is finally here. Jon M. Chu’s Wicked: For Good wraps up Elphaba and Glinda’s story in its final chapter with spellbinding emotion. Following the unbridled success of the film’s predecessor, Wicked, released just last year, I was eager to see how it would measure up. It truly could not have been a more perfect follow-up.

Three to five years after Elphaba (played by the incredible Cynthia Erivo) took flight on her broomstick, defying gravity and altering the course of her life, her Shiz classmates' lives, and the Emerald City’s inhabitants forever, audiences are welcomed back into the land of Oz.

At this point in time, The Wizard (Jeff Goldblum) and Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh) have been working tirelessly to imprison and silence the animals of Oz. The pair made Elphaba – now widely referred to as the “Wicked Witch of the West” – the face of evil to their citizens, twisting her words, morals, and actions.

As every villain needs a hero, Glinda (portrayed by the luminescent Ariana Grande) is put up to the task of being the face of goodness to Ozians, earning the title of “Glinda the Good.”

Elphaba realizes she needs to take a stand against the violent acts of cruelty towards the animals and sets her course for Munchkinland. There, she visits her younger sister, Nessarose (Marissa Bode), who has been appointed governor of Munchkinland.

After Elphaba pleads with Nessa to do something about the injustice in Oz, she makes her way to the Emerald City. When she touches down in the palace, Elphaba comes face-to-face with Glinda for the first time in years. The pair then goes to meet with the man in green, like they did as Shiz students years prior. Elphaba’s arrival in the city is not welcomed, and Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey), now Captain of the Gale Force, is put in charge of capturing her. Though everyone stands against her, Elphaba perseveres in her fight for justice.

The witch flees the city, returning to her safe haven in the forest, where she continues her animal activism efforts. When a young girl in a blue-and-white gingham dress blows into town, wreaking havoc with her little dog, the story’s plot thickens.

As a lifelong fan of the classic The Wizard of Oz film and a longtime fan of Stephen Schwartz’s hit musical Wicked: The Untold Story of the Witches of Oz, I was incredibly impressed with the movie franchise’s conclusion. If you are a fan of the 1939 movie, you’ll be delighted. If you’re a fan of the musical, you’ll be “obsessulated.” I can confidently say that Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande will become household names for their extraordinary talent in this movie, marking their place in Ozian history forever.

Wicked: For Good has a darker tone compared to Wicked, but that darkness is necessary, offering audiences deeper insight into each character. Transformations such as these take immense talent, and the actors nailed them. I would not change a single thing about this star-studded cast; every performance earned its rightful place in the credits.

If you plan on seeing a movie this weekend, make it Wicked: For Good. It’s easily the movie of the year in my book. And if you do head to your local theater, don’t forget the essentials: popcorn, your favorite candy, and a full box of tissues.

Kayla Marra

Copyright ©2025 PopEntertainment.com. All rights reserved. Posted: November 20, 2025.