WICKED: FOR GOOD (2025)

Genre: Musical/Fantasy
Director: Jon M. Chu
Cast: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Michelle Yeoh, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Ethan Slater, Marissa Bode, Bowen Yang, Bronwyn James, Adam James, Colman Domingo, Peter Dinklage
Runtime: 2 hr 17 mins
Rating: PG
Released By: UIP
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 20 November 2025

Synopsis: Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), now demonized as The Wicked Witch of the West, lives in exile, hidden within the Ozian forest while continuing her fight for the freedom of Oz’s silenced Animals and desperately trying to expose the truth she knows about The Wizard (Jeff Goldblum). Glinda, meanwhile, has become the glamorous symbol of Goodness for all of Oz, living at the palace in Emerald City and reveling in the perks of fame and popularity. Under the instruction of Madame Morrible (Oscar® winner Michelle Yeoh), Glinda is deployed to serve as an effervescent comfort to Oz, reassuring the masses that all is well under the rule of The Wizard. As Glinda’s stardom expands and she prepares to marry Prince Fiyero (Olivier award winner and Emmy and SAG nominee Jonathan Bailey) in a spectacular Ozian wedding, she is haunted by her separation from Elphaba. She attempts to broker a conciliation between Elphaba and The Wizard, but those efforts will fail, driving Elphaba and Glinda only further apart. The aftershocks will transform Boq (Tony nominee Ethan Slater) and Fiyero forever, and threaten the safety of Elphaba’s sister, Nessarose (Marissa Bode), when a girl from Kansas comes crashing into all their lives. As an angry mob rises against the Wicked Witch, Glinda and Elphaba will need to come together one final time. With their singular friendship now the fulcrum of their futures, they will need to truly see each other, with honesty and empathy, if they are to change themselves, and all of Oz, for good. 

Movie Review:

Wicked: For Good arrives with the kind of anticipation usually reserved for cinematic finales of massive franchises — and rightly so. Jon M. Chu’s second chapter of his ambitious two-part adaptation of the beloved 2003 stage musical has been years in the making, and expectations were sky-high after Wicked (2024) dazzled audiences with its spectacle and catalogue of show-stopping hits.

With most of the instantly recognisable songs front-loaded in the first film (hands up if you’re still humming "Dancing Through Life" or "Popular", Wicked: For Good inevitably takes on a different tone: talkier, and more character-driven. What it lacks in bombast, it makes up for in intimacy, and a commitment to honouring the beating heart of the musical — Elphaba and Glinda’s friendship.

This sequel expands on relationships that the first film could only sketch. The emotional centrepiece is undeniably the evolving bond between Elphaba and Glinda, played with aching sincerity by Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande. Close-ups, a luxury unavailable to live theatre, become one of Chu’s strongest tools. The camera captures flickers of doubt, longing, jealousy, and regret — small emotional fractures that would be lost from the middle or back rows of a Broadway theatre. The stakes feel more personal and poignant.

Musically, the film delivers everything fans are hoping for. Where "Defying Gravity" soared as the anthem of the first movie, "For Good" becomes the emotional climax here. Erivo and Grande perform the duet with breathtaking sincerity, their voices blending with a warmth that underscores the moment’s bittersweet beauty: a farewell, a confession, and a quiet acceptance of change. It’s the kind of musical number destined to be replayed for years.

The darker, showier "No Good Deed" is another standout — Erivo unleashes a powerhouse performance filled with raw anguish, giving the film one of its most electrifying moments. New additions to the soundtrack, including "No Place Like Home" and "The Girl in the Bubble", are surprisingly strong and deepen the inner worlds of the two heroines while feeling seamlessly woven into the established score.

Narratively, the film also ventures into darker territory with its supporting characters. The subplot involving Nessa (Marissa Bode) and Boq (Ethan Slater) carries a more tragic tone than newcomers may expect, adding emotional heft without overshadowing the main storyline. Both Bode and Slater give grounded, affecting performances that ensure their arc resonates.

Erivo is, unsurprisingly, magnificent. She embodies Elphaba’s ferocity and vulnerability with equal conviction, shaping a character who is both formidable and deeply human. Grande, meanwhile, shines in her second outing as Glinda. While she leaned heavily into comedy in the first movie, here she offers a more textured, relatable performance without abandoning her impeccable comedic instincts.

A particularly funny moment sees Elphaba and Glinda bickering and physically tussling like schoolgirls — a perfectly timed burst of levity that the audience will adore. Both actresses are poised for a strong awards-season presence, with Oscar buzz already swirling loudly.

Veteran performers Michelle Yeoh and Jeff Goldblum add further delight. Yeoh brings a commanding elegance to Madame Morrible, while Goldblum infuses the Wizard with an unpredictable, lightly chaotic wit only he could deliver. Jonathan Bailey, recently crowned the Sexiest Man Alive, sheds his rakish image and leans into something more earnest here. As Fiyero, he delivers an impassioned "As Long As You’re Mine" with Erivo, and yes, he gets a shirtless moment that is sure to draw appreciative reactions from the audience.

In the end, Wicked: For Good stands as a worthy and satisfying conclusion to Chu’s vision. Where the first film soared and dazzled, this one moves with emotions. It’s a lovingly crafted musical epic that ensures Jon M. Chu will be remembered as the filmmaker who brought to millions in a cinematic form that feels both faithful and transformative — a commercially phenomenal achievement for fans and newcomers alike.

Movie Rating:

(An emotionally rich finale to Jon M. Chu’s two-part epic, this sequel sweeps you away — and leaves its mark on your heart for good)

Review by John Li