Film REVIEW: Wicked: For Good (2025) - ★★★★★

Mix Up Theatre (Stewart)
11 minutes ago
6 min read

The first movie flew – but Wicked: For Good soars. Check out our guide to Wicked Part 2 and discover why this “intense, action-packed” movie is one of the year’s hottest sequels.

Director: Jon M. Chu

Writer: Winnie Holzman, Dana Fox

based on Wicked by Stephen Schwartz, Wicked by Gregory Maguire

Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, Bowen Yang, Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Goldblum.

Genre: Family, Fantasy, Musical

Themes: Based on Stage Musical, Wicked Witch of the West Character, Witch.

Elphaba, the future Wicked Witch of the West and her relationship with Glinda, the Good Witch of the North. The second of a two-part feature film adaptation of the Broadway musical, sequel to Wicked (2024)

The film received weaker reviews than its predecessor but was still commercially successful.

MIX UP REVIEWS:

Nina (Age 13) - ★★★★★

"Wow I have no words it was amazing!! Wicked: For Good is based on the second act of the musical Wicked. The music is incredible and the movie features 2 new songs the musical doesn’t. Ariana Grande (Glinda) and Cynthia Erivo (Elphaba) both are amazing actresses. Cynthia has a very powerful voice and Ariana’s high notes are everything! It was such a heartwarming, dramatic and emotional conclusion of the story. It’s set 5 years after the first movie and it shows how far Glinda and Elphaba have come since the end of the first film. Glinda has a glamorous lifestyle and she has become Glinda the Good and Elphaba (now the Wicked Witch of the West) is hiding away and trying to save the animals and prove the Wizard (Jeff Goldblum) is a fraud. Grab your tissues, prepare for insane singing talent and sit back relax and enjoy the film! (And maybe cry a little)” 1000000/10 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐"

Have you seen it?

Wicked Part 2 buzz - Why is everybody talking about Wicked: For Good?

We don’t drop the term ‘pop culture phenomenon’ lightly. But how else would you describe 2024’s Wicked? We’re talking about a movie that smashed $750-million at the global box office (the highest-grossing Broadway adaptation in history). That scored ten Oscar nominations (winning Best Costume and Production Design) as well as winning 3 awards at the Mix Up Theatre Movie Awards! - Best Film, Best Director and Best Supporting Actor (Jonathan Bailey). That saw hardcore fans hit the cinema in Elphaba-green facepaint and Galinda-style bubblegum dresses

Your broomstick has barely cooled down. But now, hot on its heels, Wicked: For Good is released on 21 November – and unless you’re a straw-for-brains scarecrow, you’ll be there. “Wicked Part 2 is a doozy,” director Jon M. Chu (Now You See Me 2, Crazy Rich Asians) told Variety. “You’re getting the meat. It’s intense…

Why is Wicked 2 parts?

Sometimes, there’s just too much story. And when Chu got busy on the first Wicked movie, he soon realised he was slicing off vital narrative to hit the runtime. “We had to extend it to two movies,” the director told The Big Issue, “because every time we tried to shorten it, you lost either the fact that it was Wicked, the musical that we know and love, or it rushed through moments that were just not emotionally believable, not emotionally satisfying."

Wicked Part 2 plot - What happens in Wicked: For Good?

We’re not complaining about a double-dose of Wicked, especially when this fantasy sequel is where the action hots up. You’ll remember, at the end of the first film, Elphaba Thropp (Cynthia Erivo - Chaos Walking) was framed as a villain by Jeff Goldblum (Jurassic Park, Thor: Ragnarok)’s not-so-wonderful Wizard Of Oz, her fanged face leering from propaganda posters or pinned onto burning effigies

Wicked: For Good is set a few years down the line. Elphaba remains a feared fugitive billed as The Wicked Witch Of The West, continuing her fight for animal rights from the shadows. Playboy prince Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey) still carries a torch for her, but as they say, ‘it’s complicated’, seeing as he’s now captain of the Wizard’s guards and tasked with hunting her down.

And Galinda? She’s been promoted by Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh - Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings) and is now the Wizard’s spokeswoman. The evil headmistress of Shiz University also wants to set her up with Fiyero as the kingdom’s power couple. Are you seriously suggesting Galinda throws away all that lovely social status to help a frog-faced outlaw…?

Cast of Wicked: For Good - Who stars in Wicked 2025?

Who needs new characters when you’ve got a returning cast this strong? As you saw on 2024’s press campaign, the real-life chemistry between Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande (Men in Black: International) is insane – and it bleeds into their characters for Wicked Part 2. “[I hope] no-one ever finds out how much we actually loathe each other,” joked Grande onstage at the National Board of Review Awards Gala. Erivo added: “We fooled you!”

As a survivor of Jurassic World: Rebirth, Jonathan Bailey returns as Fiyero, now not so much dancing through life as marching in jackboots. “I think we understand the world of Wicked and how it works now,” he told IndieWire. “I’m really excited for the tonal shift. The world gets heavier and more complicated and there’s just that pumping sense of hope and joy and resilience and all the things we love about Elphaba’s journey that I can’t wait for.”

From there, it’s fan favourites all the way, including Jeff Goldblum as the Wizard, Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible, Marissa Bode (Wicked: One Wonderful Night) as Nessarose Thropp (Elphaba's half-sister, now Governor of Munchkinland) and Ethan Slater (Lost on a Mountain in Maine) as Boq Woodsman – who’s still infatuated with Galinda. “There might be some emotional complications and twists,” Goldblum told People, in what will probably be the understatement of the year.

Wicked: For Good trailer - What footage from Wicked Part 2 can we watch now?

Wicked Part 2 trailer is right here, ready to watch. And while Jon M. Chu’s emerald-hued fantasy world is mouthwatering as ever, the teaser footage also answers a burning question – namely, will Dorothy feature in Wicked: For Good? Historically, Chu has been tight-lipped (“I won’t say whether she’s a character, necessarily, in Movie Two…”).

But sure enough, there’s Dorothy in the Wicked 2025 footage, flanked by her squad (the Tin Man, Scarecrow and Lion), taking orders from the Wizard to snatch Elphaba’s broom. With the cat out of the bag, the director has fessed up, to a degree. “I can’t confirm or deny how much you see of Dorothy,” he told one interviewer, “But does The Wizard Of Oz and our movie intersect in Movie Two more than ever? One hundred per cent…”

Wicked Part 2 age rating - Who can watch Wicked: For Good?

The first Wicked movie was rated ‘PG’, and while there were powerful, visceral scenes that might have rattled very young kids, nobody had to sleep in Mummy and Daddy’s bed afterwards. You can expect the same from Wicked: For Good.

Wicked 2 soundtrack - Will there be new songs in Wicked 2025?

Last year, Defying Gravity brought the curtain down in style – but as Chu says, there’s plenty of gold in Wicked Part 2 (“No Good Deed is just a banger!”). Meanwhile, composer Stephen Schwartz confirms there’ll be two brand-new songs that didn’t feature in the Wicked stage show, sung by Elphaba and Galinda.

"They are complete songs in themselves,” he wrote in his Schwartz Scene newsletter. “All the new material, of course, is to meet the demands of the storytelling."

Wicked: For Good is in cinemas now – so send your flying monkey out for tickets and experience this spectacular Broadway adaptation with the immersive atmosphere that only the cinema can conjure.

"We want to finish this story in the way that this beautiful memory of Wicked can actually come full circle and can be with you for the rest of your life,” director Jon M. Chu told Vanity Fair. “We want you to look at both movies in the end and feel like it was one all along…”

How do you rate these movies?...