Elphaba
Cynthia Erivo
Elphaba
Wicked: For Good
“You will be changed.”
6.7
2025
2h 17m
FantasyAdventureRomance
Director: Jon M. Chu
Overview
As an angry mob rises against the Wicked Witch, Glinda and Elphaba will need to come together one final time. With their singular friendship now the fulcrum of their futures, they will need to truly see each other, with honesty and empathy, if they are to change themselves, and all of Oz, for good.
Trailer
Final Trailer Official
Cast
Glinda
Ariana Grande
Glinda
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
Jeff Goldblum
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
Madame Morrible
Michelle Yeoh
Madame Morrible
Fiyero / The Scarecrow
Jonathan Bailey
Fiyero / The Scarecrow
Boq / The Tin Man
Ethan Slater
Boq / The Tin Man
Nessarose
Marissa Bode
Nessarose
The Cowardly Lion (voice)
Colman Domingo
The Cowardly Lion (voice)
Pfannee
Bowen Yang
Pfannee
Shenshen
Bronwyn James
Shenshen
Avaric
Aaron Teoh
Avaric
Miss. Coddle
Keala Settle
Miss. Coddle
Reviews
✦ AI-generated review
The Cost of Defiance
If *Wicked* (2024) was a film about the exhilaration of ascent—the dizzying, technicolor rush of finding one's voice—*Wicked: For Good* is a sobering, beautiful meditation on the landing. Jon M. Chu’s concluding chapter to this massive cinematic undertaking trades the candy-colored optimism of Shiz University for a darker, more suffocating reality. It asks the difficult question that most fairy tales avoid: What happens after you defy gravity? The answer, it turns out, is that gravity fights back.
This film is not merely "content" to complete a franchise; it is a mature, often heartbreaking political tragedy dressed in emerald silk. Where Part One was a story of origin, Part Two is a story of legacy and the violent machinery of state propaganda. Chu understands that the most terrifying aspect of Oz isn’t the flying monkeys, but the ease with which a society can be convinced to hate a woman who was once their neighbor. The visual language shifts accordingly. The Emerald City, once a beacon of wonder, now feels oppressive, its green glow looking less like a jewel and more like a surveillance state. The whimsy is still there, but it is weaponized.
The film’s brilliance lies in how it navigates the "interquel" nature of the second act—the moments that weave in and out of Dorothy Gale’s arrival. Chu manages to make the events of the 1939 classic feel like a chaotic intrusion into a much more important story. We see the familiar iconography—the house, the shoes, the bucket of water—but through the eyes of Elphaba, they are not symbols of liberation, but instruments of torture. The sequence surrounding "No Good Deed" is a directorial triumph; it is not just a musical number, but a psychological breakdown rendered in visual effects, where Elphaba’s magic finally curdles from a gift into a curse under the weight of her frustration.
However, the film’s emotional center remains the fractured soul shared by Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba and Ariana Grande’s Glinda. Erivo delivers a performance of jagged edges and raw nerves, portraying a freedom fighter who is slowly realizing that being "right" offers no protection against being vilified. But it is Grande who provides the film’s tragic surprise. Her Glinda is no longer just the bubbly comic relief; she is a study in complicity. We watch her calcify into "Glinda the Good," a political figurehead who must sacrifice her integrity to maintain order. The tragedy isn’t that they become enemies; it’s that they remain friends who can no longer exist in the same world.
When the two finally come together for the titular duet, "For Good," the scene transcends the mechanics of musical theater. Chu strips away the spectacle, allowing the camera to linger on the micro-expressions of two women saying a goodbye that is also an apology. It is a devastating moment of intimacy in a film otherwise obsessed with public image.
*Wicked: For Good* succeeds because it refuses to give us a simple victory. It suggests that history is a story told by the winners, and that "goodness" is often just a matter of good PR. By the time the credits roll, the film has dismantled the binary of the Wicked Witch and the Good Witch, leaving us with something far more human: two flawed people doing their best to survive a world that demands they pick a side. It is a finale that earns its tears, proving that while myths may live forever, the people behind them rarely survive the telling.
If *Wicked* (2024) was a film about the exhilaration of ascent—the dizzying, technicolor rush of finding one's voice—*Wicked: For Good* is a sobering, beautiful meditation on the landing. Jon M. Chu’s concluding chapter to this massive cinematic undertaking trades the candy-colored optimism of Shiz University for a darker, more suffocating reality. It asks the difficult question that most fairy tales avoid: What happens after you defy gravity? The answer, it turns out, is that gravity fights back.
This film is not merely "content" to complete a franchise; it is a mature, often heartbreaking political tragedy dressed in emerald silk. Where Part One was a story of origin, Part Two is a story of legacy and the violent machinery of state propaganda. Chu understands that the most terrifying aspect of Oz isn’t the flying monkeys, but the ease with which a society can be convinced to hate a woman who was once their neighbor. The visual language shifts accordingly. The Emerald City, once a beacon of wonder, now feels oppressive, its green glow looking less like a jewel and more like a surveillance state. The whimsy is still there, but it is weaponized.
The film’s brilliance lies in how it navigates the "interquel" nature of the second act—the moments that weave in and out of Dorothy Gale’s arrival. Chu manages to make the events of the 1939 classic feel like a chaotic intrusion into a much more important story. We see the familiar iconography—the house, the shoes, the bucket of water—but through the eyes of Elphaba, they are not symbols of liberation, but instruments of torture. The sequence surrounding "No Good Deed" is a directorial triumph; it is not just a musical number, but a psychological breakdown rendered in visual effects, where Elphaba’s magic finally curdles from a gift into a curse under the weight of her frustration.
However, the film’s emotional center remains the fractured soul shared by Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba and Ariana Grande’s Glinda. Erivo delivers a performance of jagged edges and raw nerves, portraying a freedom fighter who is slowly realizing that being "right" offers no protection against being vilified. But it is Grande who provides the film’s tragic surprise. Her Glinda is no longer just the bubbly comic relief; she is a study in complicity. We watch her calcify into "Glinda the Good," a political figurehead who must sacrifice her integrity to maintain order. The tragedy isn’t that they become enemies; it’s that they remain friends who can no longer exist in the same world.
When the two finally come together for the titular duet, "For Good," the scene transcends the mechanics of musical theater. Chu strips away the spectacle, allowing the camera to linger on the micro-expressions of two women saying a goodbye that is also an apology. It is a devastating moment of intimacy in a film otherwise obsessed with public image.
*Wicked: For Good* succeeds because it refuses to give us a simple victory. It suggests that history is a story told by the winners, and that "goodness" is often just a matter of good PR. By the time the credits roll, the film has dismantled the binary of the Wicked Witch and the Good Witch, leaving us with something far more human: two flawed people doing their best to survive a world that demands they pick a side. It is a finale that earns its tears, proving that while myths may live forever, the people behind them rarely survive the telling.
Clips (3)
No Good Deed
She’s Made Her Choice
Wonderful
Featurettes (64)
Ariana Grande on bringing all parts of Glinda to life in Wicked & Wicked: For Good
Cynthia Erivo on her favorite version of Elphaba
Hear from Cynthia Erivo on the emotional door scene
Scene at the Academy (Feat. Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, and More)
A glimpse behind the door scene with Ariana Grande
The capital’s own Cynthia Erivo has an important message for Londoners.
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Play "Most Likely To" with the Young Stars of Wicked!
Ariana Grande on the physicality of playing Glinda in Wicked & Wicked: For Good
What's In My Bag with the Young Stars of WICKED!
The Big Picture
Cynthia Erivo & Ariana Grande Break Down ‘Wicked: For Good’
This or That: Wicked Soundtrack Edition
The closet scene that changed us for good.
Green For Good
How Glinda's dress was inspired by Broadway's bubble dress and Billie Burke's ballgown
Young Elphaba, Glinda, and Nessarose Recreate This Iconic Song About WICKED!
Unforgettable moments in Paris
What does Wicked mean to you, and how has it changed you for good?
The (Yellow) Brick Lane takeover is calling your name!
Fiyero's Journey
Watch as the Wicked: For Good cast share their best British slang!
A Wicked weekend, sorted!
Here’s the goodliest dance choreography of “What Is This Feeling? (Reprise)” by Christopher Scott.
“Step into your fear and make the thing.” Director Jon M. Chu gives inspiration to future filmmakers
Like a handprint on our hearts
Jon M. Chu on the Process of Filming Wicked and Wicked for Good at the Same Time | BAFTA
The stars answer important British questions...
Congratulations to Maidah, 11 - winner of the BBFC Create The Card Competition!
Exclusive Clip on Peacock Announcement
Jon M. Chu Interview
Cynthia Erivo Rewatches Wicked: For Good Scene & Explains Career Inspirations | BAFTA
The Journey of a Lifetime
Merci Paris! Thank you for your warm welcome
The magical cast of Wicked: For Good
A special moment caught in Paris
The crossover we didn't know we needed!
Paris loves Jonathan Bailey!
Michelle Yeoh takes Paris by storm
Ariana Grande showing all the love to fans at the Paris screening
When they see her they will scream!
Bonjour! The Wicked: For Good cast arrives in Paris
São Paulo, you’ve changed us for the better. Thank you for everything
Sweet Oz! Thank you for all the love, Brazil
Cynthia Erivo and Jonathan Bailey brought the magic to São Paulo!
Jon M. Chu feeling the energy at the Wicked: For Good Brazil premiere!
Cynthia Erivo has arrived! All love from Brazil
The sexiest man alive, at your service
The calm before the storm! The Wicked For Good Press Tour is about to begin.
Elphaba's Magic
Epic Conclusion
Green For Good
On the Set of Wicked: For Good (Official LEGO Brickified)
In our feels today celebrating Jeff Goldblum's birthday
Glinda's Place in Oz
Elphaba's Place in Oz
When WICKED worlds collided in London
Wicked & Good
The Wicked Wardrobes: Ariana Grande
The Wicked Wardrobes: Cynthia Erivo
Tour Announcement
BBFC Black Card Competition
In the Screening Room with Jon M. Chu
Behind the Scenes (19)
Writers: Dana Fox & Winnie Holzman
Editing The Magic
The Magic Behind "No Good Deed"
Boq's Transformation
Fiyero's Transformation
Hair and Makeup
Creating the Sounds of Oz
A Look Behind the Camera with Alice Brooks
VFX Storytelling
No Good Deed BTS
My Universal Story: Textile Family
Where is Ari going?
Universal Below-The-Line Trainee: Millie Davies
Universal Below-The-Line Traineeship
Only in Theaters This Friday
Only in Theaters This Friday
Behind the Scenes of "For Good"
Glinda's Headquarters
First Look
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