Wicked: For Good, directed by Jon M. Chu and written by Winnie Holzman, Dana Fox, and Stephen Schwartz, stars Ariana Grande as Glinda and Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba. This movie is the sequel to the first Oscar-winning film in the series, which we previously reviewed. You can watch Wicked: For Good now on Amazon Prime Video for the price of $19.99.

After being exiled, Elphaba has been hiding in the forest and secretly protecting the animals of Oz. On the other hand, Glinda resides in her dream-like palace in the Emerald City, with her new name of ‘Glinda the Good.’ As all of Oz prepares to destroy the Wicked Witch of the West for good, Glinda will have to decide between status, fame and wealth, or friendship, honesty and integrity.

The first Wicked movie delves into the upcoming friendship between Glinda and Elphaba and the challenges they face as they grow closer, while Wicked: For Good explores the themes of morality, truth and sacrifice. The second movie definitely has a more serious tone, as it shows the reality of life and corruption.

Like the first movie, the sequel one has many fan-favorite musical tracks, including “I Couldn’t Be Happier”, “As Long as You’re Mine”, “No Good Deed”, and “For Good”, which were all from the original Broadway musical production. 

But two new songs, “No Place Like Home” and “The Girl in the Bubble” were added to the soundtrack for this movie, both written by Stephen Schwartz. I think both of these songs are great, and although they didn’t necessarily need to be included, they still add a special touch to the movie. 

I really liked how they have given Glinda and Elphaba their own solo songs and how each song had its own meaning, with “The Girl in the Bubble” representing Glinda’s moment of realization that she needs to stop hiding and face the truth, and “No Place Like Home” illustrating Elphaba’s decision to fight for the animals to be able to return to their homes in Oz.

The vocals in this movie are outstanding, and in my opinion, this is Ariana Grande’s best work. She specifically went through opera training for this movie, and she sounds absolutely incredible when hitting those high notes. Cynthia Erivo’s powerful vocals also come through over the course of the whole movie, especially in “No Good Deed”. 

Not only are the vocals fantastic, but the visuals are amazing as well. The costume designs, makeup, and overall quality of the movie are incredible. I especially loved the Tin Man’s look as it is incredibly realistic and, in a way, very frightening. While this movie received no Oscar nominations at all, I’m actually shocked that it did not get any nominations for music or visual effects specifically, as I think those are the best parts of the film.

Another aspect I really enjoyed about this movie was the fact that they made Dorothy a faceless character. By doing this, they make the whole focus of the movie about Glinda and Elphaba and their sides of the story. If they had included more scenes with Dorothy and the others’ journey to see the Wizard, it would’ve seemed like a Wizard of Oz remake. Instead, they have fully shifted the narrative to the side of the two witches. 

However, something I believe should have been different was how the Wizard is not villainized enough. I was really hoping to see a battle between Elphaba and the Wizard, but all we get is him singing “Wonderful” and everyone acting like he isn’t an animal abuser. At the end of the first movie, he reveals his true colors, and we realize that he is the enemy, but this is not brought up enough in the sequel, as much as it should have been.

Overall, this movie feels very rushed. Many moments are very boring and slow, like filler scenes. Instead, they should have shortened the whole story into one movie, because the second movie does not have many important plot points, and it all could have been added to the first one. Although I did not hate the sequel, I definitely prefer the first movie, since it feels much more meaningful and is just really more fun to watch. 

Even though I am slightly disappointed by Wicked: For Good, it doesn’t take away from the fact that the story and visuals are absolutely beautiful. If you have watched the first movie, I definitely recommend checking this one out as well.  And if you enjoy the Wicked movies, you should also watch The Wizard of Oz, Wonka, Maleficent, and Enchanted.