Back in November of 2024, audiences were blown away by Jon M. Chu’s adaptation (the first of two filmed simultaneously) of the Broadway sensation Wicked by Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman based on the Gregory Maguire novel. Exiting the theatre still reeling from Cynthia Erivo’s earth-shattering final vocal belt, the first film somehow felt fulfilling enough as its own film to allow a year-long wait for its conclusion. The screenplays for both parts by Holzman and Dana Fox knew, as faithful as they had to be, that two complete films needed more than what was written for the stage to be two satisfying full-course meals. In the case of the first half (the longer of the two), its extra-padding allowed stronger, more intimate growth between Erivo’s Elphaba and Ariana Grande’s Galinda/Glinda and also to luxuriate in the cotton-candy pastel world of Oz. It also stretched musical numbers thin, causing some turbulent momentum for those itching just to sing along to the songs they knew by heart. Yes, the first film was excessive, but given it is the stronger half of the story and with such an unforgettable conclusion, it still passed with flying colors. The second film, Wicked: For Good, was always the harder gamble.

After her gravity-defying exit, Elphaba has become known to the land of Oz as the Wicked Witch of the West. The Wizard (Jeff Goldblum) and Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh) continue their carefully-plotted manipulating of Oz by promoting Glinda as the Wizard’s spokesperson. As the Yellow Brick Road is finally being built, Glinda and Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey) announce their engagement, although Fiyero’s interest may be shifting towards the runaway Elphaba. As Elphaba continues her attempts to thwart the Wizard’s plans and free the captive animals of Oz from their imprisonment, a familiar tornado brings along the arrival of a young girl from Kansas.

The challenge of tackling the darker, more somber, less musically-memorable, and also fairly rushed second part, was always to keep the audience invested in the core drama and smooth out the kinks of overlapping this once-prequel into an in-betweenquel, taking place concurrently with the original Wizard of Oz story. Being over an hour longer than the stage show’s second act allows for those more intimate moments to shine, though it can’t help but feel baggy, weighed down by a need to keep stretching the material where it’s not needed. The first hour of Wicked: For Good is stuck not only with the melancholy tone, but it also feels like deleted scenes were re-inserted to give it a more even runtime alongside its first chapter, though the concept of either of these films in this collectively 5ish-hour adaptation having deleted scenes in general a maddening thought. In fact, Stephen Schwartz was tasked with writing two new original songs for this second half, Erivo’s “No Place Like Home” and Grande’s “Girl in the Bubble”, both of which feel in line with the previous catalogue, though both fairly unnecessary, adding two extra subdued numbers to a second act that is yearning for a moment of uplift.

Once plot elements kick into gear and the songs become more voluminous and heart-swelling, so does the enjoyment of the film. Erivo and Grande are perfectly matched against one another, harmonious in both vocals and chemistry yet again, each expertly channeling the pain of their splitting paths. By its conclusion, it’s hard to not be a bit gutted, particularly within its political undertones, with the decisions the two leads are forced to make for the greater good. While some story reveals feel a bit brushed over, the film smartly keeps the Wizard of Oz elements as far to the background as it can, never letting it take over or distract from the core narrative.

Wicked: For Good gets about as much of the original show right as it can with its adaptation, faithful to a fault, making sure to please the hardcore fanbase and musical theatre diehards, while wearing its flaws like a badge of honor. Those that are ho-hum about the second act on stage will likely be unimpressed with the film version, but even on stage, the strengths outweigh the weaknesses. Paul Tazewell’s costumes and Nathan Crowley’s production design bursting with incredible vision despite being captured through flat lighting and color choices (a problem of the previous film). Goldblum’s charismatic Wizard full of sinister pomp and circumstance, blessed with a rousingly staged song-and-dance number “Wonderful”. Bailey’s hearthrob Fiyero a constant bright spot, heroic and effortlessly charming, though he gets less singing to do this time around.

Chu’s adaptation of Wicked probably is best experienced as an epic double feature, where the narrative its stitched back together as one full narrative, though undoubtedly the best version of Wicked will always be on the stage as intended. To have even made Wicked into a film, let alone two films, was a tremendous task and one that should be commended. Its tender conclusion will leave most with a full heart leaving the theater and its final shot, one that feels like the first visual idea planned, a touching wink to its enormous legacy.