In spite of all of the critiques, rumors and turmoil surrounding the film, Wicked For Good persevered and released in November. I had the ability to watch it during Thanksgiving break and I ended with a mixed set of feelings. Even though it is often more catching or attention grabbing to make harsh critiques and spread an unpopular message of hatred, I wouldn’t be able to say I hated it. In fact, I believe it is one of the best, if not the best, films of 2025.
For starters, the cinematography and set design created a surplus of color and magic for the watcher. Although there were critiques about the color grading, I would argue that the color suited the film well and don’t remember any noticeably bland scenes.
As for the pacing and storyline, I found it a little lackluster compared to the first film. The first half of this movie could have been sped up and some songs felt unnecessary and just added for fluff. But, the song “No Good Deed” honestly made up for every less interesting scene that happened before. But even with the first half comparably being less interesting, I still could never look away.
The songs were a mix of unnecessary or boring and lively and powerful, two different sides of the spectrum. The song “The Girl in the Bubble” was added for this movie, in my opinion, just for the purpose to make it longer. While, songs like “March of the Witch Hunters” and, as mentioned before, “No Good Deed” were stunning and perfectly represented. In comparison to the first film, I would say the overall songs are worse in the second but specifically for Elphaba, her songs are better in the second.
Finally, I will discuss the acting. Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo clearly poured their hearts and souls into these roles and I have no critiques for them. I would give a special praise to Ethan Slater, specifically in the second half, ashe gave 110% energy into his character. During the song “March of the Witch Hunters” many Wicked fans had low expectations for him to truly nail the song, but he took those doubts, and in my opinion, did it better than the original. As for Michelle Yeoh, I often felt when watching her scenes that I would see Michelle Yeoh instead of Madame Morrible. I know many people also felt disconnected from her acting and critiqued her vocals. But, with this being said, this cast was full of passionate talented people and so anything less than perfect will stick out because this movie is just that good.
Overall, Wicked For Good lived up to the first half and wrapped up the story in a powerful, wrapped up ending. Every person who worked on this film should be proud and whether people like it or not, this film series changed society.
