The Green and the Good, but Where’s the Spark?
Wicked: For Good Delivers Spectacle, But Glinda’s Shine Feels Dimmed
By Max, Virlan.co Staff Writer
As a journalist who has covered the box office for years, I’m well-acquainted with the Wicked phenomenon. The first film, with its dazzling visuals and Oscar nominations, set a dizzying bar. The sequel, Wicked: For Good, bravely steps into the darker, more politically charged second act of the beloved musical. While the film is a technical triumph—a feast of costumes and production design—it ultimately stumbles in finding the emotional grounding that made us fall for its predecessor.
The film picks up right where Part 1 left off: Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) is the ostracized fugitive “Wicked Witch of the West,” while Glinda (Ariana Grande) is the beloved, glittering pawn of the Wizard (Jeff Goldblum) and Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh). Director Jon M. Chu commits fully to the heavier themes—fascism, propaganda, and the manipulation of truth—and Cynthia Erivo remains a devastating powerhouse. Her rendition of “No Good Deed” is an explosion of rage and sorrow, cementing her performance as one of the great cinematic musical turns.
However, where the film loses its altitude is with its other star. Ariana Grande, who brought an appropriate, bubbly charm to the character’s earlier, more flighty phase, struggles to carry the weight of Glinda’s moral dilemma in this darker chapter. Glinda is meant to be wrestling with profound guilt and the realization of her own complicity, but Grande’s performance feels surprisingly fragile, even muted, in the face of such high drama.
I suspect many Americans, especially those who grew up with the theatrical legend of Kristin Chenoweth’s Glinda, may agree. Grande is technically proficient, and she shines in the character’s quieter, more introspective moments, such as the new song “The Girl in the Bubble.” Yet, when the script demands she show the steel beneath the sparkle—the internal conflict that drives Glinda to make her hardest choices—the performance lacks the necessary gravitas. She comes across less as a conflicted friend battling a corrupt system, and more as a sweetly confused ingenue.
The biggest crime of all, in a film that is supposed to be about the unbreakable bond of sisterhood, is the diminished chemistry. Glinda and Elphaba are physically separated for much of the film, and the few moments they do share feel rushed, like the movie is racing to hit its narrative marks. By the time they arrive at the titular “For Good,” one of the most poignant duets ever written, the emotional foundation feels too hurried to sustain the tearful moment it’s supposed to be.
Wicked: For Good is a gorgeous, uneven, and ultimately disappointing conclusion to an epic story. It’s a film that demands to be seen for Erivo’s brilliance and its stunning craft, but it confirms the long-held suspicion that the musical’s second act simply doesn’t translate as smoothly to the screen, especially when one of its lead stars can’t quite defy gravity.
📝 Critic’s Corner: What The Experts Are Saying
To provide a well-rounded view for the virlan.co readership, here are excerpts from the reviews of three other well-known critics:
1. Peter Travers, The Travers Take
“Despite a few stumbles into the bloated and boring, the final half of this witchy brew soars on the musical wings of Oscar nominees Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande who are twice as wonderful the second time around. Grande, stepping into the center ring after ceding Part 1 to Erivo, deepens Glinda with spiky shards of mirth and malice. She’s coming for that Oscar and she deserves it. And kudos to Erivo for turning the empty, big-number bombast of ‘No Good Deed’ into a gutsy, anger-fueled showstopper that makes you cheer… If that song doesn’t get you then ‘Wicked’ has no place on your playlist. Sure ‘Wicked: For Good’ is plagued by limitations… but just to clear the air, ‘Wicked,’ on stage or screen, has never been about its politics or virtuous posturing. It’s about using music and performance to sweep us away on waves of humor, heart and rapturous romance.”
2. Bilge Ebiri, Vulture/New York Magazine
“Wicked: For Good is shorter than the first film and, while it might be a step back in terms of spectacle, it’s a leap forward in (go ahead, laugh) subtlety and emotion. Wicked: For Good is Ariana Grande’s movie. And the film knows it, bending toward her every chance it gets. …[Grande] really gets her moments to shine in this installment and makes the most of them. Whereas [she] had a relatively one-dimensional role to play in Part 1, Glinda now faces a complex evolution, showing fragility in the new song, ‘The Girl in the Bubble,’ and something far more nuanced than simple anger when Fiyero makes the choice that will cost him his brains… If it sounds like this second half is darker than the first, it is, but it’s also more effective in its consistency of tone.”
3. Tyler Collins, Orillia News
“After a sensational part one last year, Wicked’s concluding film disappoints in its mediocrity… The most exciting and emotionally gripping components of part one are, sadly, missing from the second. The beloved Broadway show was always an odd choice to split into two separate films… That decision, however, means the films are greatly lopsided: most of the best scenes and songs are all in part one, leaving little showmanship for this new follow-up. The problem with Wicked: For Good is that the source story of the show’s second act was never particularly interesting, and the not-so-clever nods to The Wizard of Oz still feel forced and hokey. …Erivo and Grande were both nominated for Oscars last year for part one, and they’re equally great here – especially when they sing together. But the other songs all fall flat, feeling out of place in the new genre For Good is trying to ground itself in.”