November 19, 2025 | 9:07am
MANILA, Philippines — Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande return in “Wicked: For Good” to cap off the film adaptations of the Broadway hit “Wicked,” showing where both goodness and wickedness begin and end.
Picking up years after the events of the first film from last year, Erivo’s Elphaba Thropp is now branded the Wicked Witch of the West as she continues to fight for the rights of animals, even with a majority of Oz eager to see her dead.
Ariana’s Glinda Upland has been raised by the Wizard (Jeff Goldblum) and Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh) to be Glinda the Good, an inspiring figure for the people of Oz to look up in the face of a terror out west.
Deep inside, however, Elphaba and Glinda know they must deal with the consequences of their actions, and that includes the fates of the ones they love and each other.
Director Jon M. Chu opted to split “Wicked” into two parts to better do justice to Winnie Holzman (who co-wrote the screenplay) and Stephen Schwartz’s original production, and in doing so explore the relationships of characters.
As such, “Wicked: For Good” works very well with the first film fresh in mind, carrying on the bonds Elphaba and Glinda made in Shiz University but being pulled apart by the land of Oz.
If anything, this movie truly belongs to Erivo and Grande — who received Oscar nominations for the first film — as they sincerely present their characters’ friendship and the impacts they’ve made on each other.
No sequence shows that better than the titular song “For Good,” where both actresses’ voices mingle in pure harmony, notes intertwining with heartfelt emotions.
Two other song numbers stand out as well, “No Good Deed” and “The Girl in the Bubble,” the latter a new track written for the movie.
Related: ‘The Running Man’ review: Glen Powell on the run in new Edgar Wright flick
Erivo showcases once more her vocal prowess in the former song, amplified spectacularly by surrounding visual effects and the production design of Oscar-winning Nathan Crowley.
Grande commands the screen in “The Girl in the Bubble” with some of the best camerawork by cinematographer Alice Brooks, who manufactures four impossible mirror shots to complete the sequence and make it appear as one long take.
It can’t be denied how visually appealing “Wicked: For Good is” — much of that goes to Crowley, Brooks, and Oscar-winning costume designer Paul Tazewell — but some credit should also go to the supporting cast.
Goldblum, Yeoh, and newly-crowned “Sexiest Man Alive” Jonathan Bailey all play their part to make the sequel reach its goal.
Even the briefest glimpses of Dorothy Gale, a key character in “The Wizard of Oz,” push the story along (admirably sometimes with the use of shadows, a key feature in the original musical) yet never to pop the bubble that is Elphaba and Glinda’s relationship.
It is truly an amazing feat by Chu and company that they brought “Wicked” to the big screen in not one but two parts, both deserving of laurels from longtime musical fans and freshly found ones in cinephiles.
“Defying Gravity” may be the soul of the whole musical, but many will agree that “For Good” provides the heart.
“Who can say if I’ve been changed for the better? I do believe I have been changed for the better… because I knew you, I have been changed… for good.”
RELATED: Top 4 picks revealed: ‘Sound of Music’ among Pope Leo’s favorite movies