Vlad Bunoan

Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande in 'Wicked: For Good.' Universal Pictures

Article (news)

Ralph Revelar Sarza

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1763543909684WFG_ElphabaGlinda.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/>Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande in &#x27;Wicked: For Good.&#x27; Universal Pictures </div>“Wait just a clock-tick.” The movie repeats it like a heartbeat. I took that as a directive. I waited. I waited for the story to soar. I waited for the magic to land. It felt like blinking was a sin. Every quiet moment demanded my full attention. This was the sequel I’d been waiting for, and the film knew it. Unlike the first installment, which swept me along so effortlessly that I barely noticed the runtime, this one forced me to earn the emotional peaks. The pacing is deliberate. The high points were great, but the movie didn’t make them easy to get to.“Wicked: For Good” leans darker than its predecessor. The stakes are immediate. Elphaba is hunted, trapped by circumstance, and grappling with the weight of her own choices. Erivo’s performance is volcanic. Her Elphaba is a storm contained in human form.But this sequel clearly belongs to Ariana Grande. Her Glinda is still light and breezy, but the narrative now shows her struggling immensely under the burden of guilt and the crushing weight of imposter syndrome. She wrestles with conscience and ambition, and Grande gives her a layered depth and vulnerability that anchors the film. While the first installment highlighted Erivo’s power and presence, “Wicked: For Good” unmistakably lets Grande shine and makes the emotional climax as much hers as it is Erivo’s.Musically, the sequel can’t match the sheer wattage of the first film. Its overall sonic architecture feels undeniably smaller, and the two new original songs, while serviceable, lack the signature punch to truly elevate the soundtrack.Yet the film finds its true musical zenith in devastating sincerity. That moment arrives with the long-awaited performance of “For Good.” The raw power of the scene overwhelms the very notion of a fictional farewell. It feels like the authentic, emotional goodbye of two friends. I wasn’t just crying for Elphaba and Glinda’s departure, but for the profound achievement represented by Erivo and Grande themselves. It felt less like a dramatic scene within the story and more like a monumental, personal salute from two actors who became friends during filming, now saying their own farewell to a franchise they’ve not only nurtured but utterly defined.More concerned with resolution than spectacle, “Wicked: For Good” acts as an emotionally satisfying conclusion that masterfully completes the journey of Elphaba and Glinda while setting the stage for Oz as we know it. Loose threads from the original story and musical are tied up. The origins of the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion, and Dorothy’s arrival finally click into place. At times, the pacing suffers under the weight of all this explanation, but the film’s commitment to canonical closure ensures it accomplishes exactly what it aimed to do, making the classic 1939 film fully understandable for fans both new and old.“Wicked: For Good” nearly succumbs to the infamous sequel curse. While this second chapter is far from unnecessary, it’s hard not to wonder if the story might have resonated even more as a single, sweeping three- or four-hour epic rather than being split across two installments. The standout songs belong to the first film -- the evidence being the production’s need to write two new original songs for this chapter, which unfortunately failed to disguise the lack of signature showstoppers in the musical’s second act.The film’s lasting impact lies in the completeness and emotional resonance it delivers to its audience. It is a heartfelt love letter to the world of Oz. Its true triumph is giving devoted fans, those who have long wondered about the original story’s mysteries, a chance to finally look somewhere over the rainbow and understand why. This farewell speaks primarily to them rather than to new fans whose standards for musical cinema were set impossibly high by the successful first installment.

While the first installment highlighted Cynthia Erivo’s power and presence, “Wicked: For Good” unmistakably lets Ariana Grande shine and makes the emotional climax as much hers as it is Erivo’s.

While the first installment highlighted Cynthia Erivo’s power and presence, “Wicked: For Good” unmistakably lets Ariana Grande shine and makes the emotional climax as much hers as it is Erivo’s.

‘Wicked: For Good’ review: A triumphant, flawed goodbye

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‘Wicked: For Good’ review: A triumphant, flawed goodbye

Ralph Revelar Sarza

Published November 19, 2025 05:20 PM PHT

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Wicked for Good

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Cynthia Erivo

Ariana Grande

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