“Wicked: For Good”was released in theaters Nov. 21, 2025 as the second half of the story to “Wicked” that was released Nov. 22, 2024. The movies are an adaptation of the Broadway musical, which was produced from the book of the same name.
“Wicked” tells the story of the events leading up to “The Wizard of Oz” and the development of major characters. Specifically, the new movie explores the characters after Dorothy arrives in Oz, telling the events of “The Wizard of Oz” through a completely different perspective.
The movies star Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, Ariana Grande as Glinda, Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero and Jeff Goldbloom as the Wizard, among others.
One of the best parts of both movies were the songs. Both Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande are great singers whose voices fit well on the soundtrack.
Ashley Chang (12) said, “I personally really liked the songs; my favorite song in the movie was For Good, and I think Ariana and Cynthia definitely did an amazing job for that song and just overall with their singing.”
Mia Aguilar (12) added, “All of the songs were amazing and showed off just how talented the actors and actresses truly were! The vocals were insane. Although a majority, if not all, of the new songs were a bit slower than the first movie I think they were perfect for the plot. And I’ve been playing “Wonderful”, “No Good Deed” and “For Good” on repeat!”
“Wicked: For Good” closely follows the second act of the Broadway musical with the addition of two original songs, “No Place Like Home” and “Girl in the Bubble”, one for each main character.
Chang continued, “For the new songs like “Girl in the Bubble”, I don’t really have any strong opinions about them—they just weren’t as memorable as the original songs from the musical.”
Another topic of discussion about “Wicked: For Good” is the design that functions well to turn a modern set into looking like the fantastical land of Oz. The costumes and set choices, especially for Fiyero and Boq who turn into the Scarecrow and the Tin Man respectively, worked really well for the movies.
Some changes were made in the movie musical to avoid copyright issues with “The Wizard of Oz.” Two of these were changing the shape of the yellow brick road and never showing Dorothy’s face.
Additionally, the slippers that Dorothy took from the Wicked Witch of the East were silver as in the original book for “The Wizard of Oz”, not the ruby slippers depicted in the original movie.
“Wicked: For Good” is a great movie with many aspects that put it above other recent releases. However, I preferred the overall storyline and the songs from the first movie.
Aguilar equally enjoys both movies and stated,“I will say that the first one is a little more whimsical and light-hearted while the second one definitely brings out all of the emotions!”
