I, like countless others, was thrilled to watch the highly anticipated sequel to the 2024 film “Wicked”. On various social media platforms, I have seen interview clips of Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo acting oddly protective of one another, with fans noting that their bond was cute but bizarrely intimate. Their demeanor towards one another, while it may not have been a conscious marketing move, got people talking and made me want to watch the sequel too. 

The film did a lot of things exceptionally well and brought the magic of Oz to life in more ways than one. The wedding scene was just as Galinda-ful as you’d expect, with her elegant cascading dress and magical gold butterflies surrounding her. The dresses, hair, tiaras and magical transportation did not disappoint. The cinematography was as magical and satisfying as we expected, like when Glinda’s walk down the aisle paralleled Elphaba’s walk through the Wizard’s secret room of captivity, it was exactly what we wanted. 

I felt that Elphaba was too quick to jump into Fiyero’s arms (literally) and sing “As Long as You’re Mine” for someone who was just supposed to be married to her best friend. Don’t get me wrong, Elphaba’s connection with Fiyero was unmistakably special, but this plot point felt out of character in a film about sisterhood. It wasn’t just Elphaba; Glinda also took no time to turn on Elphaba and tell the Wizard and Madame Morrible exactly how to trap her. Though this seems deserved, I feel like both of these storylines remained half-finished, and two wrongs don’t make a right. After the first film gave us an admiration for Elphaba, I’m glad we got to witness Glinda’s growth as well. She went from a desperate child “obsessulated” with having magical powers, to an adult willing to stop believing in Madame Morrible when it mattered. Glinda and Elphaba’s bond in the first film was so unique and captivating, exactly what made me fall in love with the franchise; however, I felt that their relationship didn’t grow as much in this movie. I cried after watching “Wicked” (2024), but this one didn’t have the same impact on me. Maybe because of the lack of songs about their sisterhood- I guess it was hard to top “What Is This Feeling”…

I enjoyed the double meaning of “Wicked: For Good”, where For Good implies the movie is “for good” as in the final but also near the end of the film, Elphaba expresses that she chooses to continue to be seen as “Wicked” and makes Glinda promise not to tell anyone she’s actually not wicked, only to preserve Glinda’s “goodness”; without someone who is wicked, they wouldn’t have a Glinda the Good. I found this to be a meaningful illustration of how deep their sisterhood goes, especially after the rifts they face throughout the two movies.

The best parts of the movie, however, were arguably the moments where I could hear the whole theater gasp in their “Aha!” moments. One of these was when Elphaba, in an attempt to save Boq from Nessa’s haphazard spell, turned him into a heartless tin man, which we all recognized immediately as the Tin Man from “The Wizard of Oz”. The cowardly lion and the scarecrow’s origin stories were equally exciting moments (although I’m not sure how the scarecrow became brainless), because everyone loves when things just click. Madame Morrible as the reason for the tornado that transported Dorothy into Oz, Nessa’s shoes actually being the ones Dorothy steals and the tie-in to why the flying monkeys were protectors of Elphaba in the Wizard of Oz, were all delightfully flawless connections to “The Wizard of Oz” storyline. 

The musical choices were what sold the film for me: the “Unlimited” reprise, the lyric changes from the original versions of songs to new ones. My personal favorites were the Wizard “goodbye” (in place of “The Wizard and I”)  and Glinda you are “still the best” (in place of Glinda, and Glinda singing “I’m not that Girl” instead of Elphaba were thoughtful details that made “Wicked: For Good” good.  

Overall, I would rate “Wicked: For Good” a 7.5/10. Although the plot felt rushed between scene switches, and had occasional confusing ballads like “The Girl In The Bubble”, the little details and connections to the rest of the Oz universe made the magic of “Wicked” come to life. Consider me a fan For Good.