Category: Drama, Musical, Fantasy
Written By: Shamar (Vibez) Binns Date: 12/01/25
Wicked: For Good
Wicked: For Good arrives with tremendous anticipation following the success of the first film. As excited as I was to return to the world of Oz, this sequel unfortunately has some truly wicked flaws that prevent it from soaring as high as it should. The spectacle, performances, and emotion are all present, but the storytelling struggles to give those elements enough room to breathe.
The film’s biggest issue is its rushed narrative. Wicked: For Good connects its story more directly to Dorothy’s journey in The Wizard of Oz, revisiting several iconic events from a completely different perspective. While that idea should deepen the mythology and reveal new sides of a familiar story, the movie moves through these moments so quickly that many of them lose their emotional impact. Scenes transition at such a rapid pace that the audience barely has time to process one major development before the next one begins.
There are also moments when the movie’s logic becomes unintentionally funny. One example involves two major characters performing an emotional musical number while Dorothy is supposedly being held captive nearby. Instead of creating tension, the scene makes you question what everyone else is doing while the song continues. I understand that Wicked is a musical, but moments like this make it difficult to stay emotionally invested in the danger surrounding the characters.
The sequel also relies so heavily on its music that meaningful dialogue sometimes feels almost nonexistent. Nearly every conversation appears to transition into another song. While musicals naturally use songs to develop their characters and move the story forward, the constant musical momentum creates a sense of repetition. The audience is rarely allowed to sit quietly with the characters, absorb what has happened, or build a deeper emotional connection without another number immediately beginning. A stronger balance between dialogue and music could have made the emotional moments feel much more powerful.
However, despite its storytelling and pacing problems, Wicked: For Good still shines in several important ways. The film is visually stunning, with production values that feel even larger and more ambitious than those of the first movie. Oz looks brighter, grander, and more alive, while the costumes, sets, visual effects, and cinematography create a magical world that remains beautiful to experience on the big screen.
The cast also brings genuine passion to the material. Every performer fully commits to their character, delivering performances filled with emotion, personality, and dramatic weight. The relationships between the characters remain the heart of the story, especially as loyalty, fear, love, and public perception begin pulling them in different directions. Even when the screenplay moves too quickly, the actors do their best to make every goodbye, confrontation, and emotional revelation matter.
Although the film leans too heavily on its soundtrack, many of the songs are undeniably powerful, catchy, and memorable. The musical performances are beautifully staged, and the vocals continue to be one of the franchise’s greatest strengths. When the music, visuals, and performances come together, Wicked: For Good captures the emotional magic audiences expect from this story. The problem is that those moments are not always supported by an equally strong narrative structure.
In the end, Wicked: For Good is far from a bad movie. It is an ambitious and visually beautiful sequel that occasionally stumbles while trying to connect its characters, musical numbers, and Wizard of Oz mythology all at once. The spectacle is there, the heart is there, and the music hits more often than it misses. However, a more balanced screenplay, additional dialogue, and stronger pacing could have transformed this from an enjoyable conclusion into something truly magical.
A solid three-star experience with beautiful visuals, passionate performances, and memorable music, but also a story that desperately needed more time to breathe.