Spoiler Alert dives into, and provides a space to talk about, plot details that we can’t reveal in our official critique. Consider yourself warned: This piece contains spoilers for Wicked: For Good.

Wicked has been a monumental success over the past two decades, making it easy to overlook its initial lukewarm reception on Broadway. It was beaten out for the Tony by an edgy puppet show, with reviewers criticizing it as “overloaded,” “forced” and suffering from “confused, unorganized plotting” that supposedly “did not bode well for the future of Broadway musicals.” Obviously, those fears were unfounded as Wicked quickly became a defining hit of its era, engaging a new generation of theatergoers. However, even its fans generally recognize that the second half of the show is substantially weaker compared to the first.

When Jon M. Chu took on the task of adapting the musical for film, it was not only an opportunity to immortalize the beloved show but also a chance to address its shortcomings. Considering the original’s weaker second act, splitting the story into two films seemed wise—one to maintain the dynamic college beginnings and another to more fully develop the darker, political narrative that follows.

In theory, at least. The first movie definitely benefits from focusing on the emerging friendship between Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and Glinda (Ariana Grande-Butera) without the clutter of complex second act storylines. The iconic “Defying Gravity” might have been lost in a more crammed single film. However, the second movie, Wicked: For Good, while attempting to adjust the Broadway script, doesn’t achieve enough to truly stand out.

Wicked’s sprawling yet rushed second act would have benefited from a complete overhaul. Instead, screenwriters Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox mostly stick to minor modifications, similar to their approach with the first film. The second movie introduces more new content than the first, which mainly gained its additional length from allowing scenes and transitions more time than they had on stage. Yet, rather than revising or significantly altering the fundamental issues of the original script (also penned by Holzman), the team opts for minor adjustments.

This starts with a bit more clarity about the ambiguous time jump between the two parts of the story, described as “12 tide turns,” leaving its exact duration open to interpretation. While Glinda experiments with her new mechanical bubble and unnecessarily revisits her affluent childhood, Elphaba is seen flying around Oz, rescuing animals and persuading them to join her cause in the new song “No Place Like Home”—all additions for the film.

Indeed, the original stage version tends to sideline the animals’ plight in its second half, treating it more as a symptom of the Ozian government’s misdeeds rather than an ongoing struggle for Elphaba. The movie, For Good, keeps this theme of defending the helpless more central, which feels particularly relevant today. However, this shift in focus also alters the stakes of the narrative. Beginning with scenes of enslaved sentient animals makes Glinda’s cheerful role as the face of the Wizard (Jeff Goldblum) and Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh) seem less sympathetic.

Moreover, given Elphaba’s intensified role as a champion for animals, it’s puzzling why she remains on friendly terms with her college best friend who is now the spokesperson for the regime she opposes. For Good capitalizes on Erivo and Grande’s stellar dynamic by adding more scenes for Elphaba and Glinda than the stage show’s second act offers, including Glinda’s participation in the Wizard/Elphaba number “Wonderful.” However, their relationship feels unusually cordial given the escalated context.

This friendliness is particularly striking against the way For Good portrays Elphaba’s younger sister Nessarose (Marissa Bode)—arguably one of the musical’s most problematic characters. One of the odd elements of Wicked is that it’s a tale of chosen sisterhood featuring a character who also has an actual sister with whom she is supposedly close. Elphaba and Nessa could have easily been the focus of a Frozen-style narrative about the complex dynamics that develop when an overshadowed older sister is expected to suppress her identity for her “golden child” sibling. Yet, Wicked keeps this dynamic on the periphery of its central Elphaba/Glinda storyline. Nessa is included primarily because the narrative requires the Wicked Witch of the West to have a sister who meets her end under a house.

Remembering that Wicked originally captivated audiences with its connection to The Wizard of Oz is crucial. The second act functions as a kind of Rosencrantz & Guildenstern-style tragicomedy that reimagines familiar elements in a fresh light. Watching bootleg performances of the original cast, one can see how reveals like Boq becoming the Tinman or references to an offstage Dorothy elicited enthusiastic responses because they offered a clever twist on a classic tale.

As Wicked has established itself as a cultural icon, however, its Wizard of Oz links have become less central to its identity. Many kids watching these Wicked films may have never seen the 1939 movie. They are drawn to these characters for their own sake, not as pieces in the Wizard of Oz puzzle. This is where a secondary character like Nessa struggles. She turns to fascism simply because her college crush doesn’t reciprocate her feelings—a pretty villainous move, yet perhaps not much worse than what Glinda is up to. Wicked: For Good waffles during its brief depiction of “The Wicked Witch of the East” (a song that occurs onstage but was omitted from the original Broadway cast recording).

There was some effort to enhance Nessa’s narrative from a disability perspective. She is no longer resentful about her wheelchair use or desperate for Elphaba to “cure” her so that Boq will love her. (In the stage version, Elphaba magically enables her sister to walk; in the film, she gives her an emotional lift by allowing her to float.) However, Nessa’s internal world doesn’t receive the same thoughtful revision. For Good still primarily focuses on steering her towards her inevitable “Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead” fate and justifying the Wicked Witch’s fixation with Dorothy’s magical shoes.

Instead of using its extended runtime to delve deeper into characters that the stage version underserves, For Good employs its extra length to reiterate well-understood aspects of its characters (like Glinda’s new tune “The Girl In The Bubble”) or to amplify plot points that didn’t need intensifying. In the stage production, Glinda and Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey) never progress beyond a surprise public engagement. In the film, Chu stages a lavish Crazy Rich Asians-inspired wedding that is abruptly disrupted by a sudden stampede of animals.

Presumably, the wedding is meant to heighten the drama of the love triangle and provide a more theatrical setting for Glinda’s reprise of “I’m Not That Girl.” However, since Fiyero doesn’t actually have second thoughts, the wedding is merely interrupted and he subsequently runs off with Elphaba in the same manner as in the stage version, rendering the nuptials an unnecessary complication that portrays him as indecisive. Just hours after his commitment to Glinda, he’s assuring Elphaba of their everlasting future together. Make up your mind!

It’s not that there isn’t enough material here for a stand-alone film; it’s that For Good makes some odd choices about what to expand. Onstage, just 13 minutes separate Nessa’s demise and Elphaba and Glinda’s duet “For Good”—and that includes a brawl between the two main characters, Fiyero’s transformation into the Scarecrow, “No Good Deed,” and “March of the Witch Hunters.” While the film thankfully allows a bit more breathing room, it doesn’t add much substance.

The transition from Nessa’s death to Elphaba and Glinda humorously fighting over a stolen boyfriend feels abrupt. Nothing about Fiyero’s life as the Scarecrow is clarified. (Do you think he and Tin Man Boq ever reminisced about their college days when Dorothy wasn’t around?) And it’s baffling how he and Elphaba managed to coordinate such an intricate trap door/fake melting deception with just a brief message from a flying monkey. But none of that really matters, because at least now we know Glinda once had a sad birthday!

To its credit, Wicked: For Good reserves its most significant changes for the end—slowing down and expanding on Glinda’s journey following Elphaba’s “death.” While the first film focuses on Elphaba’s narrative, this one is Glinda’s. Her decisive action against the Wizard and Madame Morrible, as well as her efforts to welcome the exiled animals back to Oz (a sequence not present onstage), effectively highlight her moral awakening.

However, making Glinda such a proactive agent of change also muddies the waters regarding why Elphaba and Fiyero need to fake their deaths and leave Oz for good. Onstage, it seems that the best Glinda can hope for is to prevent further damage. But in a world where she can reverse years of deep-seated prejudice against animals in just one afternoon, rehabilitating the Wicked Witch’s public image doesn’t seem like it would be too challenging.

Nevertheless, at least the focus on Glinda aligns with the film’s core themes—examining the nature of “goodness” and providing a cautionary tale about how “perilous times” can be exploited to justify oppression. The final scene, featuring the magical Grimmerie book opening for Glinda (another new element), carries symbolic weight about the power of personal transformation. The real question is whether these changes are too little, too late.

Ironically, the critiques of Wicked: For Good echo those of the original stage production—applauding the cast’s efforts to salvage a flawed script. While the Wicked films have undoubtedly introduced the material to a new audience and captured its magical moments, it’s perplexing that after such a long journey, the narrative ends up right back where it started.

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Avery Sandridge

Avery Sandridge has an unmatched love for storytelling and the screen. From detailed analyses of your favorite shows to behind-the-scenes scoops, Avery offers a fresh and engaging take on everything TV series.