As the world anticipates the return of Oz’s most famous witches, who soar back onto cinema screens tomorrow, early reviews for Wicked: For Good suggest audiences are in for a treat. However, some critics say the prequel falls short of expectations.
What to Expect From Wicked: For Good
Last year’s Wicked became a global cultural phenomenon, earning 10 Oscar nominations and more than $750 million worldwide. Now, director Jon M. Chu returns to complete the saga in the epic final chapter, Wicked: For Good.
The sequel picks up with Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), now reviled as the Wicked Witch of the West, living in hiding while trying to expose the Wizard’s (Jeff Goldblum) lies and free Oz’s silenced Animals.
Glinda (Ariana Grande) has risen to fame as the glittering, beloved symbol of Goodness, deployed by Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh) to reassure the masses and maintain the Wizard’s illusion of order.
As Glinda prepares for a lavish wedding to Prince Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey), she becomes increasingly haunted by her distance from Elphaba.
She attempts to strike a reconciliation between the Wizard and Elphaba, but her efforts backfire—sparking weighty consequences for Fiyero, Boq (Ethan Slater), and Elphaba’s sister Nessarose (Marissa Bode), all while a girl from Kansas threatens to upend everything they know.
When an angry mob ultimately rises against the Wicked Witch, the fate of Oz hinges on whether the two witches can bridge their differences one final time—seeing each other clearly enough to transform their futures “for good.”
A Quick Refresher: What Happened in Wicked (2024)
The first film followed Elphaba’s origins, from her troubled childhood to her years at Shiz University, where she clashed with—and eventually befriended—Galinda.
After discovering that the Wizard was stripping Animals of their rights, Elphaba rebelled, unleashing her powers and fleeing Emerald City on a flying broomstick. Branded “wicked,” she left Glinda behind as propaganda began to turn Oz against her.
What Are The Critics Saying?
Variety: “Oz has never felt more great and powerful”
Peter Debruge praised the sequel’s scale and political sharpness for Variery, saying it delivers a satisfying “whew factor” after the success of Part 1. He reportedly noted that treating the films as two separate events revitalized the movie musical, and that Chu “picks up right where he left off,” plunging viewers straight into Emerald City festivities.
Debruge said the film addresses a common complaint about the stage version by giving Glinda and Elphaba more material together, and he noted that the sequel adds origin stories for the Lion, Scarecrow, and Tin Man.
He highlighted the film’s explicit political parallels, describing the Wizard as a manipulative leader whose tactics echo contemporary figures.
Despite heavier themes, Debruge concluded that the emotional core—friendship, evolution, and truth—lands with real power.
The Hollywood Reporter: Grande shines, and the emotions pay off
David Rooney praised Ariana Grande’s performance for the Hollywood Reporter, saying she adds compelling emotional depth. He said that while most of the musical’s best-known songs appear in Part 1, For Good still captivates thanks to strong character work, sumptuous design, and the casting of Erivo and Grande.
Rooney reportedly observed that the sequel shifts attention toward Glinda, allowing Grande to show tenderness and growing moral clarity.
He said Erivo remains a powerhouse, and that together the two actresses deliver a poignant, sob-inducing rendition of “For Good.” While he found some storylines rushed, he praised the visual detail, performances, and overarching theme of sisterhood.
The Guardian – Four Stars
Peter Bradshaw gave the film four stars for the Guardian, saying Chu “pulls off quite a trick” by maintaining the magic while narrowing the focus onto the central relationships.
Bradshaw said the love triangles—Glinda, Elphaba, and the Wizard; and Glinda, Elphaba, and Fiyero—drive the film’s emotional energy.
He praised Jeff Goldblum’s slippery Wizard, Jonathan Bailey’s more grounded and passionate Fiyero, and especially Cynthia Erivo, who he said delivers a moving, mature Elphaba.
Bradshaw noted that the film smartly dovetails with The Wizard of Oz, though he found some of the origin stories (especially the Scarecrow’s) muddled. Still, he called Erivo’s performance “genuinely moving,” highlighting how the film navigates Elphaba’s supposed wickedness with “tragicomic brio.”
Vulture and New York Magazine: “Better than the first”
Bilge Ebiri declared Wicked: For Good an improvement on its predecessor, saying it offers more depth and emotional nuance in his review for New York Vulture.
He wrote that the sequel is “Ariana Grande’s movie,” with the camera frequently lingering on her expressive performance as Glinda grapples with complicity, heartbreak, and moral awakening.
Ebiri said that while Erivo remains magnificent, Elphaba enters the film already a legend—leaving the more dynamic arc to Grande. He noted the darker tone, the eerie transformations into Oz’s iconic characters, and Chu’s choice to scale down spectacle in favor of intimacy.
While the music remains less impactful than onstage, Ebiri argued that the film’s humanity makes it a surprisingly rich conclusion.
Newsweek – ‘Holds a deep truth about the world we live in’
Billie Melissa said Wicked: For Good successfully deepens Act Two’s darker world, praising Ariana Grande for delivering a moving, mature Glinda whose emotional arc anchors the film.
She noted that Cynthia Erivo brings power and poignancy to Elphaba’s evolution, with standout performances in the new song “No Place Like Home” and a show-stopping “No Good Deed.”
The review emphasized that while the witches spend much of the film apart, their reunion in “For Good” is devastatingly effective.
“As much as it is a magnificent, entertaining spectacle, it also holds a deep truth about the world we live in. With propaganda reigning over us and lines of division growing deeper, Wicked: For Good arrives as both a mirror and a warning. It shows us who we are and who we can be, which is why Grande’s Glinda and Erivo’s Elphaba are key to the film’s success,” Melissa wrote.
IndieWire: ‘Doesn’t Go Out on a High Note‘
Kate Erbland offered the most critical take for IndieWire, and a Grade B-, saying the second installment “wasn’t worth waiting an entire year for.”
She argued that many of the first film’s issues persist—flat world-building, confusing magical logic, and unwieldy pacing—and that splitting the story in two still feels unnecessary.
Erbland said that despite excellent performances from Erivo and Grande, the film often seems strangely staged, visually cramped, and emotionally uneven.
She questioned why so many scenes feel small despite the long runtime and described the overall experience as “no plot but it somehow goes on forever.” Still, she acknowledged that the climactic duet “For Good” packs a powerful, tear-jerking punch—even if the rest of the film struggles to reach that level.
Rotten Tomatoes – 71%
Critics have landed on the popular review site Rotten Tomatoes, with many cinephiles applauding the sequel.
“It is darker, denser and in many ways more interesting than its predecessor, though newcomers should beware: entering Oz here without context is like being dropped into a tornado,” wrote Peter Howell in his four-star review for the Toronto Star.
Johnny Olekinski is also a fan, writing for the New York Post: “Director Jon M. Chu shoots it with tender simplicity and just lets the pair connect and feel. He wisely shows much more restraint in Part Two. There was a symphony of sniffles in my theater, and not because of cold and flu season.”
However, Wenlei Ma was more scathing of the much-anticipated follow-up, offering it 2.5 stars for The Nightly: “Wicked For Good lacks the dynamism and energy of its predecessor. Without the razzle-dazzle seduction and distraction double-punch of the first part’s many, big, all-in numbers, it falls flat much of the time.”
When it hits the box office tomorrow, you’ll be able to see for yourself whether you side with the critics—or not.
