A glossy, emotionally earnest fantasy sequel that leans hard into friendship, sacrifice, and romantic longing. It should satisfy viewers who want big musical spectacle and a heightened, melodramatic payoff, but it may feel overstuffed or emotionally blunt if you’re not already invested in the world and characters.
Wicked: For Good
Where to watch: Buy
Movie · Fantasy · Adventure
Wed · 2h 17m
Director: Jon M. Chu
Starring: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jeff Goldblum
Overview
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.
Director
Jon M. Chu
Cast
Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jeff Goldblum
Curator Review
Verdict
A glossy, emotionally earnest fantasy sequel that leans hard into friendship, sacrifice, and romantic longing. It should satisfy viewers who want big musical spectacle and a heightened, melodramatic payoff, but it may feel overstuffed or emotionally blunt if you’re not already invested in the world and characters.
Best for
fans of large-scale movie musicals
viewers who like fairy-tale fantasy with a romantic core
audiences invested in character-driven sequel payoffs
people who enjoy lush production design and emotional ballads
Skip if
you want a tight, self-contained story
you dislike stage-musical adaptation style
you prefer subtle, naturalistic acting and dialogue
you are not already interested in Oz or Broadway-style fantasy
Overview
This is the kind of sequel that exists to cash in emotional debts: friendships tested, loyalties clarified, and a whole kingdom forced to reckon with what it has been calling evil. The appeal is less about surprise than about escalation, with the movie aiming for catharsis through spectacle, melody, and the ache of people who can’t quite save each other in time.
Worth noting
The tone, based on audience response, seems knowingly maximalist: grand gestures, swooning yearning, and a lot of theatrical intensity. That can be intoxicating if you want a big-screen musical that treats feeling as a special effect. It also means the film may play as overripe or repetitive to viewers who prefer cleaner plotting or less self-conscious sentiment.
Bottom line
As a finale to a two-part fantasy, it looks designed to reward commitment more than curiosity. If the first chapter worked for you, this likely delivers the emotional release and visual pageantry you’re hoping for. If not, it probably won’t convert you; it’s a finale built on attachment, not reinvention.
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Themes
friendship, sacrifice, misunderstood outsider, romantic yearning, political unrest, identity and self-acceptance, good versus evil, redemption
Topics
musical fantasy, romantic drama, epic sequel, fairy-tale world, melodrama, spectacle, emotional catharsis, political allegory, lavish production design, 2020s