Review: 'Wicked: For Good,' A Spellbinding Finale?

In Wicked: For Good, Oz is no longer the technicolour fantasia we remember. Elphaba, now vilified as the Wicked Witch of the West, hides away in the shadowed Ozian forests, while Glinda basks in the emerald glow of fame, favour and palace life. But as an angry mob rallies against the so-called Wicked Witch, fate demands a reunion, not just between former friends, but between the fractured halves of Oz itself.

Big Ambitions, Uneven Storytelling

Jon M. Chu returns to the director’s chair with a cinematic universe already bursting at the seams, and while this sequel aims to soar, it never quite reaches the emotional crescendo of Part One. The world is richer, the stakes higher, and yet the storytelling feels stretched as though scenes have been elongated simply to meet the demands of a standalone feature. The result is a film that often glimmers, but occasionally drifts, its pacing disrupted by sequences that don’t meaningfully deepen the story.

The Cast Casts The Strongest Spell

What does remain undeniably dazzling is the cast. Cynthia Erivo is nothing short of extraordinary; her performance as Elphaba is a masterclass in emotional precision, grounding even the film’s weaker beats with a fierce, aching sincerity. Ariana Grande’s Glinda sparkles with effervescence and surprising restraint, turning what could have been a caricature into a portrait of a woman wrestling with image, power and consequence. Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, and Marissa Bode add texture and warmth to the ensemble, while screen legends Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Goldblum, Colman Domingo, Peter Dinklage and Bowen Yang each leave a mark, even in fleeting appearances.

A Visual Feast Surrounded By Narrative Fog

Visually, the film is sumptuous. The production design, costuming and choreography are consistently top-tier, ensuring that Oz remains both otherworldly and oddly familiar. The music soars, as expected, but without the narrative urgency of the first instalment, even the most spectacular numbers occasionally feel like beautiful interludes rather than emotional anchors.

A Fitting Farewell, Even If Not A Flawless One

And that, perhaps, is the heart of the issue: Wicked: For Good is undeniably enchanting as a companion piece, but less compelling as a standalone chapter. The magic is there — shimmering, potent, gorgeously performed, but diluted by a script that prioritises length over narrative necessity.

Still, for fans of the original and for newcomers drawn in by its star power, this finale offers moments of genuine wonder. When Erivo and Grande share the screen, the film finds the emotional clarity it’s been straining toward, reminding us that the true spell of Wicked lies not in spectacle, but in the fraught, fragile bond between two women reshaping their destiny.

A fitting end to a beloved story, even if it doesn’t always cast its strongest spell.

Also Read:

‘Wicked’ Review: A Wickedly Delightful Spell That Will Have You Obsessed For Weeks

6 Times Ariana Grande Channelled Her Inner Wicked

Jonathan Bailey Has Been Working His Wicked Charm On The Red Carpet