Review: ‘Wicked: For Good’ is a worthy, compelling sequel

At the end of the fantasy adventure Wicked (2024), the green-skinned witch Elphaba was branded a public enemy by the Wizard of Oz and his aide Madam Morrible. While Elphaba fled Oz, Elphaba’s friend Glinda stayed behind, a choice that seemingly pitted Glinda on the right side of the good-versus-evil contest. Already, events in Wicked had shown this binary to be false, the result of skilful manipulation by the Wizard and Morrible to create an enemy that could be used to control the people of Oz.

The sequel sees Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) continue on her mission to expose the Wizard (Jeff Goldblum) and Morrible (Michelle Yeoh) while also rehabilitating the animals who have been banned from Oz. Glinda (Ariana Grande), who has been propped up as Oz’s mascot, tries to balance her concern over Elphaba with her love for the prince Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey), who in turn loves Elphaba.

Jon M Chu’s follow-up to Wicked leaves behind the giddy humour of its predecessor and is an altogether more grown-up affair. Although overstretched and prone to interrupting the narrative flow with too many songs, Wicked: For Good is thematically richer and more emotionally engaging than its predecessor.

Both the movies are based on the popular Broadway musical, itself inspired by...

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