Review Roundup: Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo Return in WICKED: FOR GOOD

We are about to be changed for good! The conclusion of the Wicked film adaptation is only a few clock ticks away and ahead of its release on Friday, critics have weighed in with their thoughts. As of November 18, the movie is Certified Fresh at 71% on the Tomatometer with over 50 reviews and Verified Hot at 98% on the Popcornmeter with over 2,500 reviews. Find out what critics think of the highly anticipated movie below!

Wicked: For Good picks up after the 2024 film. Elphaba, now demonized as The Wicked Witch of the West, lives in exile, hidden within the Ozian forest while continuing her fight for the freedom of Oz’s silenced Animals and desperately trying to expose the truth she knows about The Wizard. 

Wicked: For Good will hit theaters on November 21, 2025, and stars Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, Ariana Grande as Glinda, Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero, Jeff Goldblum as The Wizard, Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible, Ethan Slater as Boq, and Marissa Bode as Nessarose. Other cast members include Tony-nominee Colman Domingo as the voice of the Cowardly Lion and Sharon D. Clarke (Caroline, or Change) as the voice of Elphaba’s childhood nanny, Dulcibear.

The movie is based on Act Two of the musical stage play with music and lyrics by composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz and book by Winnie Holzman, from the bestselling novel by Gregory Maguire.

Peter Debruge, Variety: "The art nouveau-style sets and ornate costumes are nothing short of astonishing, though the film relies more heavily on virtual effects, eschewing the techniques that made the blend of practical and virtual elements so seamless last time. The emotions are real; everything else is movie magic, representing where we now stand — at the apex of artificiality — for better or worse."

Caryn James, BBC: "The film is, in its essence, an ode to eternal friendship. Its heart comes near the end when the witches are about to part once more and Grande and Erivo sing For Good. The camera captures each of them as they face each other, and of course finally swirls around them as they sing, "Because I knew you, I have been changed for good." This film is as slick and shiny as Glinda's lip gloss, but it may also be just what its many fans want."

Brian Truitt, USA Today: "Like the first “Wicked,” Erivo and Grande are the belting virtuosos fueling this musical’s emotional engine. Grande benefits from Glinda having a bigger role this time, with thematic aspects of her backstory driving an impressive character arc. And Erivo is again just stunning as Elphaba, a character who runs the gamut of emotions yet always remains strongly relatable."

Clarisse Loughrey, Independent: "For Good has little sense of movement, literally or emotionally – no profound revelations, no wonder or spectacle. All that’s to be done now is for each character to process, via standardised ballad, what they’ve learned, as they wander aimlessly around dimly lit woods or millennial-pink bedrooms, in the same cycle of mid-shots and close-ups.

Pete Hammond, Deadline: "What can we say about the performances that hasn’t already been said? Both Erivo and Grande could not be better, and in fact Grande really gets a chance to shine here and runs away with the picture whenever she is on screen. Erivo’s Elphaba remains the juiciest role and she defines it with the mortality only movies can bring."

BJ Colangelo, SlashFilm: "Because when I sat in that theater and watched Erivo and Grande-Butera prove that bell hooks was right when she said that "deep, abiding friendships are the place where many women know lasting love," I stopped being a film critic and immediately regressed to the musical theater obsessed high schooler who sang "For Good," through tears with her Best Friend at our high school graduation ceremony. That is who "Wicked: For Good" is for, and based on the countless sobbing adults in my audience, I think it's safe to say it was for them too."

Bilge Ebiri, Vulture: "It would be silly to call this new movie quiet — it’s so totally not — but it is altogether more somber, more focused, more human than the first film. And it brings the Wicked cycle to a surprisingly satisfying conclusion, at least for now."

David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter: "When Erivo and Grande, toward the end of For Good, ease into that stirring title song and soar into gorgeous harmonies celebrating the reciprocal rewards of love and support, the young women in the row behind me at a recent press screening started sniffling and sobbing, their tears then flowing on and off through the entire final act. That kind of reaction no doubt connotes intimate familiarity with the material, but the screenplay — by Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox, based on Holzman’s book for the show from the novel by Gregory Maguire — earns its emotions with more sincerity than schmaltz."

William Bibbiani, TheWrap: “Wicked: For Good” is, of course, an adaptation of pre-existing material, which has a lot of the same problems. But that’s an explanation, not an excuse. The filmmakers didn’t fix those problems, so they’re the film’s problems now. The first “Wicked” worked as a movie. “Wicked: For Good” collapses because it doesn’t, either as a standalone film or as the second half of another."

Kate Erbland, IndieWire: "Much like “Wicked,” “Wicked: For Good” works its way up to a massive duet between the pair, so emotionally resonant than even the most wicked of audience members will still likely shed a tear (the song is, of course, “For Good”). It’s an unmitigated high note, but it’s a lonely one indeed. Is it alone worth the wait? Maybe, why couldn’t the entire film feel that way?"

Christy Lemire, RogerEbert.com: "Still, what you’ll remember is the way you’ll feel at the end, with the duet that gives the film its title. Erivo and Grande find just the right amount of tenderness and sadness with “For Good,” and that bond between them shines bright once more. Poignant and intimate, it’s a legitimate tearjerker. Bring tissues."

Kristy Puchko, Mashable: "In the end, Wicked: For Good is sure to enthrall fans of the Broadway show, the first movie, and just about anyone who loves a splashy movie musical. Despite its faults, it's still good."

Emma Stefansky, IGN: "Wicked 2 is certainly long enough to lay everything out in a sensible manner (at 137 minutes, it’s only 20 minutes shorter than the first movie), but seems to think that audiences will just go ahead and fill in the blanks for themselves. Its songs and talent are certainly good enough to coast on, but it still fails to make the case for translating a beloved stage show to two just-okay films. It’s time for this bubble to pop."

John Nugent, Empire: "The opening is fun and fast, establishing the literal witch hunt now dominating Oz. But it quickly becomes clear that the tone is different from that of the first film: less peppy, more glum. With the exception of Goldblum — who appears to be acting in his own film, delighting in stuttery drollness — all the characters are much less cheerful than they were last time around, and as a result it’s less enjoyable for us to watch."

Therese Lacson, Collider: "Despite these issues (and a small quibble over how Grande's dresses never seem to fit her small frame right), Wicked: For Good is not only a loyal adaptation, but it also builds on what works from the first film while leaning into its lead performances. The characters are more mature and nuanced, making it a worthy successor to the first movie. It doesn't surpass Wicked, but as a double feature, it does justice to one of the best musicals ever, and that's not an easy feat to accomplish."

Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian: "But what a performance from Erivo; it is genuinely moving when the Prince has to convince Elphaba what we, the audience, have always known: that she is beautiful."

Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times: “For Good” is a worthwhile return to Oz. The extra scenes and rejiggered duets justify the running time (even if the 160-minute length of the first film remains unforgivable). The other newly added song, “No Place Like Home,” empowers Erivo to turn Judy Garland’s famous line into a radicalized political anthem."

Photo Credit: Universal