Wicked: For Good is a ‘thrillifying’ conclusion with wicked emotion, despite plot sacrifices

[SINGAPORE] Watching Wicked: For Good makes for a wickedly good time – as long as you don’t think too hard about the details.

The second and final instalment of the movie adaptation of Broadway musical Wicked opens in Singapore on Thursday (Nov 20). Ahead of the big day, director Jon M Chu and several members of its star-studded cast including Michelle Yeoh and Ariana Grande-Butera met fans at Resorts World Sentosa on Nov 13, the final stop of an international tour and the only leg in Asia-Pacific.

The first film concluded with Glinda and Elphaba discovering that the Wizard is a fraud. Elphaba escaped, determined to expose him, while Glinda chose to stay behind in the Emerald City.

From set design to costumes, Wicked: For Good is a visual feast. Reprising their roles as Glinda the Good Witch and Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, Grande-Butera and Cynthia Erivo deliver masterful and nuanced performances.

The songs, though arguably less technically challenging than those in the first film – Defying Gravity comes to mind – are still solid. Grande-Butera and Erivo’s duet, the titular For Good, is a standout, marking the culmination of their tumultuous friendship and bittersweet goodbye.

But while the movie’s longer run time (138 minutes) compared with the theatre production allows room to flesh out the characters, namely Elphaba and Glinda, many unanswered questions remain.

After school life at Shiz University, Wicked: For Good takes on a more serious tone. It opens some time after Elphaba’s escape, with narration from Madame Morrible (played by Yeoh) warning Ozians that the Wicked Witch of the West remains a threat.

Glinda is now “something of a public figure” and part of the Wizard’s propaganda campaign, lauded as “Good”, the antithesis of Elphaba.

While the story starts with the two literally and figuratively set apart, their relationship remains the star of the show, as they each grapple with what it means to be true to their own desires and motives, while still treasuring a friendship with “the enemy”.

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The film does well in expanding on Elphaba’s character, helping to set the scene for her downfall. We see her fight for the animals, and we also see her becoming increasingly isolated, as others become more fearful or hateful and leave her behind.

Erivo sells her anger, her resolve, her hope, her betrayal and her acceptance.

Despite her new flying bubble transportation device, Glinda is also much more grounded than before. While still seeking popularity and power, she mourns the sacrifices needed to get there. The audience follows her as the character’s arc develops.

She is also simply more present than in the Broadway musical, having been added in scenes to bring Elphaba and Glinda’s friendship back to the forefront of the story.

Grande-Butera’s portrayal balances moments of levity – which never veer into too comical – with controlled emotion. Her vulnerability is palpable as she sings The Girl in the Bubble, an original song written for the movie.

That said, there were also some parts of Wicked: For Good that were, well, not so good.

For all its strengths, it is not entirely able to shake off a common criticism of Act 2 of the musical: that it is badly paced and messy.

Take the main romantic relationship, for instance. 

While the first movie laid the groundwork for Fiyero and Elphaba, with one scene where they set a lion cub free, a few flirty quips, and tension-loaded eye contact, it remains woefully underdeveloped. 

The romance is mostly sold by the acting. The audience burst into cheers as Fiyero, played by Jonathan Bailey (who was recently named People magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive for 2025), and Elphaba consummated their relationship, after fleeing together.

And while Jeff Goldblum shines as the Wizard, lending a kooky flair that makes the villain’s more believable, his motivations remain thin.

Some conclusions could be drawn from the lore of the books, movies and musical featuring the character before this latest iteration. But standing alone, the Wizard is frustratingly one-dimensional.

The lead up to the pivotal moment for Elphaba also felt a little rushed, moving through moments and character entrances and exits in quick succession. The story may have been better served with more time to linger and resolve. Some reveals at the end also feel improbable, given the timeline.

It feels like any extra run time went to Glinda, Elphaba and their bond, which is ultimately the core of the story. 

For all its faults, Wicked: For Good also knows its audience. Full of heart, the story is rooted in love and loss, and leans into emotion. By the time the end credits rolled, even if some might not have been fully satisfied, few left the theatre dry-eyed.