Wicked Sequel Earns Praise for Vocals but Criticism for Visuals Spoiler Warning for Wicked and Wicked: For Good

Ashlynn Morgan
Social Media Manager
  On November 21, 2025 Wicked: For Good, a well anticipated movie by fans that takes place during the second half of the musical, was released. Wicked overall has had such a large press tour with Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande going on tour for seemingly months for this anticipated release. 
  In the first act, it follows Glinda and Elphaba at school and ends with Elphaba being labeled as a witch. The second act takes place right after the first one, with Elphaba being on the run, and Glinda being a famous figure in the Emerald city. In the end Elphaba fakes her death and escapes with Glinda's ex fiancee Fiyero, and Glinda becomes the ruler over Oz. 
  The movie had two new original songs created for it, “No Place Like Home,” sung by Cynthia Erivo (Elphaba), and “The Girl in the Bubble,” sung by Ariana Grande (Glinda). The songs had mixed reactions from people, with some enjoying them and others saying they were not needed. The movie was rated with an 88% on the Tomatometer and a 95% on the popcornmeter. Fans loved the second movie;however, critics were not as fond of it. Reviews of the movie had critics saying the first movie had pacing issues, and an ‘emotionally flat’ ending in the second movie.
  Influencers online have shared their opinions saying that act two of Wicked overall can be considered boring, and that it is difficult to tie it into the original Wizard of Oz and can take people out of the story. Some other fans say that the emotional connection is lost in act two, and it is very rushed. Compared to the first movie, it can be seen as boring and that Wicked has all of the favorite songs from fans. The negative reviews can be blamed on the stage show itself where it ends act one with an emotionally powerful song like ‘Defying Gravity,’ and then has all the as ‘boring’ songs. The film presents several visual challenges that detract from the overall experience. Throughout the whole movie the colors were un-saturated; making it feel bland, and the scarecrow costume looked like rough CGI. 
  Reactions from the media have been mixed. Some fans praised the faithful adaptation of their favorite musical, while others believed the movie lacked color and creativity. The movie is enjoyable to watch if people want to know the ending of the musical, and can be an entertaining movie to go see with friends and family. In the end, even with the complaints from critics and fans, the film successfully adapts the Broadway musical’s beloved soundtrack.