No assembly RequireD

The second act of Broadway musicals are just not good. Especially in terms of modern theater, the second act often struggles to live up to the bravado of the first act. And while this is true it is often an unfair assessment mainly because Broadway musicals known for their upbeat attitude, even when dealing with mature themes, must use the second act to display how not everything is just song and dance. Act 2 is there not just to bring everything home with a grand reprisal, but also home in on all those emotions you may have felt in Act 1 only this time enforced with the greatest of fights our heroes must face. But even if many shows struggle to bring things home, at least after just a fifteen minute intermission everything is soon complete. With just enough time to grab an overpriced chocolate bar, you soon find yourself at act two and a grand finale kicking you out the door. WICKED: FOR GOOD however chooses a different road. The not so long awaited sequel to last year’s “Wicked: Part One,” FOR GOOD directed once again by Jon M. Chu believes its second act is deserving of its own two hour plus film. That its ideas and high flying extravaganza could not be contained with an already two hour plus film. In other words nothing was going to bring them down. And while the decision to split the story, that stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, was without question a decision made by money hungry executives, FOR GOOD had a unique opportunity in truly landing a second act that doesn’t hold the same appeal. And while the film should never just be seen as a comparison to its play especially in terms of analyzation it is fascinating to watch how desperate WICKED: FOR GOOD is at diving headfirst into the same problems that plagued the stage musical. Even worse, here is a faithful adaptation that refuses to use the tools of the cinematic medium at its disposal. WICKED: FOR GOOD is not just one of the worst films of 2025, but much like “Wicked: Part One” FOR GOOD is directed with the soulless energy of corporate greed and modern day obsession with limiting as much movie magic in favor for tightening the frame in order to fit the TikTok format. A film that neither feels theatrical enough for the stage nor cares to be cinematic for the screen, it instead chooses to make the land of Oz about as miserable as possible all while counting its dollars laughing its way down the yellow brick road. At one point “Wicked” made us believe we could fly but FOR GOOD shoots us down and throws a bucket of water on us just because it can.

Everything has changed in Oz for good. Glinda (Ariana Grande) is now the main spokesperson for the Wizard world, engaged to former classmate Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey) who has been appointed captain of the Wizard’s guard and above all else goodness will be spread throughout Oz. That is as long as they get rid of that Wicked Witch of the West once known as Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo). Dominated by the rhetoric of Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeough) the people of Oz are easily led to believe that Elphaba (a name they are forbidden to say) wants to bring evil to the land of Oz and worse she wants all animals to be free! “Wicked” has never been coy about its politics and the reconstruction of forming Oz from the beloved children’s land to a corrupt fascist society familiar to anyone living in 2025. However with its PG rating and modern day sensibilities FOR GOOD instantly walks a bizarre balance of darkness reigns while never outwardly showing any sense of discussion to match its ideas. This is the same studio that put out “Harry Potter” but alas everything must be safeguarded to protect dollars and cents in a Maga “anti-woke” mentality that causes FOR GOOD to fall into the same trappings it believes its fighting back on.

But even with this new tyranny of Oz, Elphaba is still out there fighting the good fight. She wants a safe haven for the animals, to reconnect with her sister Nessa (Marissa Bode), to rekindle her friendship with Glinda, but above all she wants the Wizard (Jeff Goldblum) to reveal himself as the fraud he truly is and allow Elphaba to continue her magic. A lot to ask for in a world that hands out pamphlets that feature her face in a demonic form burning down Oz. Erivo as Elphaba was an easy win in its first part due to Erivo’s range and determination to make the character a true hero in the face of persecution. But even above the bravery hearing Elphaba belt out easy going ballads like the “Wizard and I” made it all the more exciting when she landed the biggest showstopper “Defying Gravity” only to fly right into our faces leaving us waiting for part two. Well the second act is here and Elphaba is unfortunately an after thought in the eyes of the screenplay from Dana Fox. To see Elphaba grow into the full defender she is now feels like it was done during the year we waited for the next film and fully off screen. Erivo is given little to develop on as it seems everything they wanted us to know about her ended in the first film. She’s a fighter and that’s about it, what more do you need? Even when Elphaba reconnects with her true love Fiyero (Bailey) their chemistry is relegated to “don’t you remember how hot and heavy they were for each other in the first film?” It is this ideology that carries throughout FOR GOOD. And while that may work when all you’re doing in between acts is a quick smoke break, when you are creating two separate films neither should ever be reduced to recalling emotions.

To counteract Elphaba’s dilution in her own film is the rise of Glinda. Holding the pain but feeling that the Wizard can do good, Glinda is trapped between two worlds. Grande, who was easily the highlight of the first film (something that can never be discussed one way or the other thanks to toxic fandom) finds herself with a larger bubble to fit but that pesky screenplay magically manages to even make sure Glinda suffers to poor development. Her desire to reconnect with Elphaba is a driving force easy to hold onto, but the constant separation of Glinda and Elphaba does not do Grande any favors. A peppy performance now finds itself as stiff as a tinman and brainless as a scarecrow. Grande feels like she is in her first film let alone someone who has an established acting career. Her second go around as Galinda never was going to have the same lunacy of the happy go lucky times at Shiz University but to see Grande and Erivo share the screen with such lifeless attitude makes one question what these two heroines are even fighting for after all.

WICKED: FOR GOOD doesn’t seem to be interested in any of its already established characters. Instead it is so determined to cowardly throw them to the lions. A film based on a book inspired by one of the greatest if not most recognizable films ever, WICKED: FOR GOOD is hellbent on delivering the Dorothy of it all, and it does so in one of the most egregious fashions this side of any major studio release. While the connection to the Judy Garland starred film already existed and several side characters would find themselves a part of the infamous troupe to Oz, FOR GOOD inserts this side of the film with such carelessness that it throws to the wind any limited ideas of bravery it held. Dorothy herself may never be seen in full frame (although performed physically by Beth Weaver), the film rushes through its final act (an act full of forgettable songs) mainly to keep Dorothy and that side of the film instilled without having to also commit to just playing “Wizard of Oz” in tandem. Nobody including this critic wants to see Dorothy take over especially when based off a musical that kept her as a mere silhouette but to watch FOR GOOD feel so honored to have her exist in their film that they are willing to sacrifice any depth of Glinda and Elphaba makes one wish they just said fuck it and went for the whole hurrah. Instead FOR GOOD arrives at its titular number (and the one good song of the act) and plows through it faster than a tornado. What makes this all the more humorous is the idea that FOR GOOD and the entirety of these mere two films believes its reaching a grand conclusion that was decades in the making. Maybe for the fans this long journey to the screen will pay off but to treat its general audience as a experiencing a defining span of time is not only laughable it is an outright lie.

WICKED: FOR GOOD may get its grand conclusion with a final shot that can only be seen as a fan edit, but by the time its last note is played everything feels so misguided. Its politics and belief in believing a lie for the greater good is as misconstrued as an older relative spewing something they heard on Fox News at the Thanksgiving table. Another reminder that the film believes so deeply in its source material (admirable) that it is never willing to look in the mirror at its own mistakes (reprehensible). Instead WICKED: FOR GOOD wants to soar off believing it changed the world but if it changed anything it will unfortunately be in the way many continue to refuse to see the money hungry hands at play that control all the magic in the world. And let’s be honest they are continuing to win and nothing about that is good.

D-

WICKED: FOR GOOD IS NOW IN THEATERS