By: Lana K. Wilson-Combs
"WICKED: FOR GOOD" IS A SPELLBINDING AND DAZZLING FINAL CHAPTER
Bay Area director
Jon M. Chu ("In the Heights" and "Step Up") has done it again and worked his signature magic in the dazzling
"Wicked: For Good."
The film draws from the second act of the Tony Award–winning stage musical
"Wicked," from Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman and serves as the concluding chapter in Chu's reimagined and captivating adaptation.
"Wicked: For Good" continues the saga with plenty of flair and emotion. While the earlier installment shimmered with buoyant optimism, this second chapter takes on a noticeably darker tone, leaning into the moral complexity and heartbreak that have always pulsed beneath Oz's glittering surface. Yet the film never feels gloomy. Instead, the deepening shadows add richness and weight to Elphaba's (a dynamic Cynthia Erivo, "Wicked" and TV's "RoboGobo") journey and embodies her dawning realization that she has been manipulated by the scheming Wizard of Oz (a fantastic Jeff Goldblum, "Wicked" and TV's "Zeus") and his calculating enforcer Madame Morrible (a terrific Michelle Yeoh, "Everything Everywhere All at Once" and TV's "Blade Runner 2099").
This setup, combined with the reunion of Elphaba and Glinda (a sensational Ariana Grande, "Wicked"), heightens the film's payoffs. That sense of gravity is offset beautifully by the film's dazzling scope. The color palette is more vibrant than ever, alive, enchanted, and at times almost overwhelming in its beauty.
Chu stages the action sequences with such precision that they feel like swirling brushstrokes of emerald, gold, and ruby. Then there are the musical numbers. Erivo's volcanic vocals ignite both "No Good Deed" and "No Place Like Home," and she blends beautifully with Grande on "For Good." Goldblum and Grande shine alongside her in "Wonderful," while Grande's aching "I'm Not That Girl" and Erivo and Jonathan Bailey's passionate "As Long as You’re Mine" are simply spectacular.
It's easy to see why these songs have lived rent-free in fans' hearts for so long. Even Grande' s "The Girl in the Bubble" highlights Chu's knack for balancing tonal lightness with operatic stakes.
Admittedly, I was reluctant about having the film split into two parts. It felt like a commercial move rather than a creative one. But, after experiencing "Wicked: For Good," it's clear that this structure was not only justified, but it was also essential.
The story needed the breathing room. The world-building needed the space to bloom. And the characters, especially Elphaba and Glinda, needed the time to earn the finality and poignancy this chapter delivers. Compressing all of this into a single film would have felt rushed and been a disservice to everyone.
For those who cherish the stage musical and embraced the first film, "Wicked: For Good" feels like a lovingly crafted gift. It honors the source material without being beholden to it, surprising viewers with fresh interpretations while preserving what made "Wicked" a phenomenon.
Plus, it completes Chu's vision with sincerity and spectacle and leaves audiences--maybe not changed for good--but certainly more than satisfied and deeply moved. More importantly, this finale shows why "Wicked" has endured. It is a story about friendship, power, misjudgment, and self-discovery that feels timeless, no matter how many times or in what form it's retold.
Editor's Note: Be sure to catch my N2Entertainment.net movie talk segment on the Kitty O'Neal Show Fridays now at 5:17 p.m. and 6:47 p.m. on radio station KFBK 93.1 FM and 1530 AM.
Go Ahead And Watch This Trailer For
"WICKED: FOR GOOD"
Lana K. Wilson-Combs is a member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA), The American Film Institute (AFI), and a Nominating Committee Voting Member for the NAACP Image Awards.
