Early on in Wicked: For Good, our dark heroine Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) -the Wicked Witch of the West- confronts the Wizard (Jeff Goldblum). The witch here wants the Trump of Oz to confess that he’s been lying to the people, and Oz Trump confesses something everybody should hear: “It won’t matter.” And it won’t matter because the citizens of Oz -or MAGA in this metaphor- want to believe the lies. They want an enemy; they want a scapegoat, and in our American way of thinking, they want to be free from blame or account … like children.
Not that MAGA would watch a film featuring *gasp* TWO women! But there it was, the moment that makes a good film into a great film by reminding an audience the relevance of the material and where it stands. Wicked: For Good is the culmination of the ultimate piece of fan fiction – one that has decided The Wicked Witch of the West was maligned and misrepresented. The hate campaign against her was exactly that, a master class in gaslighting. As this film opens, the gaslighting is in full effect: The citizens of Oz hear nothing of the misdeeds of the Wizard; they are instead subjected to giant posters demonstrating Glinda (Ariana Grande), the ever-pink clad Karoline Leavitt of Oz, as “GOOD” and the blacker-than-black Elphaba as “WICKED.” The choice has already been made up for them.
And as the on-going construction of the yellow brick road improves the Ozzian infrastructure, Elphaba consistently impedes progress made through use of unwitting animal labor. Elphaba is the ultimate animal rights activist, which means a little less when you realize the animals can and should talk. [I try not to eat things that speak English, and my guess is it goes similarly for you.] It makes for a good and easy propaganda, however, doesn’t it? The green-faced black-clad witch is an enemy of Oz! Because of course she is! Just LOOK at her!
From the Wizard POV, I’m not sure Elphaba is a problem so much as a convenient foil. After all, he still has all the power and the yellow brick road will be completed long before Dorothy arrives. Yet he and his personal Steven Miller/Russell Vought/Peter Thiel Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh) need a villain to justify their evil and/or enact the worst Oz government has to offer. I can’t wait until they bankrupt all the Munchkins with tariff declarations on Narnia and Mordor or wherever.
Soon, however, this film eases back into the tear-inducing and beautiful relationship between frenemies Glinda and Elphaba. Despite them both having their eye on the same man, Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey), he seems much more of an afterthought than a genuine bone of contention. As this film begins, Elphaba is the villain of Oz and Glinda is a government toady, but both women know better, and they’re going to figure out how to make this land work for everybody, and everybody includes the animals that have -at the Wizard’s whims- gone from erudition to mute enslavement.
And all with a great soundtrack! There are dozens of wonderful touches
in this film … from Jeff Goldblum playing with his train set to the bridal version of “Popular” playing at a certain wedding … to Glinda reprising “I’m Not That Girl,” the exact same lament sung by Elphaba in the first film. This is the first multi-part film I’ve truly enjoyed since Infinity War and the best one since Lord of the Rings. And if you’re not at least a little teary-eyed by the conclusion, there might be something wrong with you.
Or me. Maybe I just love this musical. That’s possible. But here it is done exactly right. Making as much sense as it can while highlighting certainly the best soundtrack of 2025 that isn’t sung by Demon Hunters. This is one of those film experiences I regret that I can only experience for the first time once.
If I have any quibble with oxymoronical-titled piece of fan fiction is that it is exactly that: a piece of fan fiction. Don’t get me wrong: it is a marvelous piece of fan fiction, inventive, innovative, entertaining, and superior in almost every way to the work that inspired it … and all set to my favorite musical soundtrack of all time. But it is fan fiction and, hence, has fallen into the trap of many a piece of fan fiction — some things work, others do not. We’ve all seen The Wizard of Oz. The witch ain’t a good guy. I love the re-writing to show from her perspective, but that doesn’t explain it all. In the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, the witch terrorizes Dorothy, threatens her, and kidnaps her. Even if you loathe Dorothy -as I do- the witch ain’t a good guy. And don’t get me started on the animosity between witch and Scarecrow. In the 1939 film, the witch sets fire to the Scarecrow. In turn, Scarecrow is packing heat for the final conflict; yeah, that’s right, took it up – the Scarecrow brings a gun to a monkey fight. I’m trying desperately not to give away anything important in Wicked: For Good, but if you have seen the film and have an opinion on the subject, please tell me how you think these two scenarios can describe the same two characters.
Two women met each other at school
And parted ways to add fire to fuel
In the end, it seems
They shared similar dreams
Their friendship will thrive forever, how cool
Rated PG, 137 Minutes
Director: Jon M. Chu
Writer: Stephen Schwartz, Winnie Holzman, Gregory Maguire
Genre: Gaslighting 101
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: Girls who are sick to death of movies always being about superheroes and war
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: If you didn’t like the first one, you certainly won’t like the conclusion and, oh yeah, MAGA
