“Wicked: For Good” made its highly anticipated debut on Nov. 21, breaking the record for biggest opening of a Broadway-to-film adaptation, usurping the title from its predecessor, “Wicked” (2024) and becoming a certified box office hit.  

Based upon the Broadway musical “Wicked,” which originally took to the stage in June of 2003, “Wicked: For Good” covers the tumultuous second act of the decades-old Broadway production, with “Wicked” (2024) covering the first.  

Both films were directed by Jon M. Chu, who made the delightful decision to film them back-to-back, allowing for a more cohesive storyline. 

The films, along with the smash hit Broadway musical, follow the backstories of some of the most famous personalities from the world of Oz: most notably, Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba, who becomes the Wicked Witch of the West, and Ariana Grande’s Glinda, who later takes on the role of the Good Witch. All is based upon Gregory Maguire’s novel, “Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West.” 

Maguire’s New York Times bestselling origin story for the Wicked Witch drew inspiration from L. Frank Baum’s “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,” which also served as the driving inspiration the famous 1939 film, “The Wizard of Oz.” 

In “Wicked” (2024), audiences witnessed an unlikely friendship blossom between these two soon-to-be witches. With extravagant musical numbers to match, “Wicked” entranced viewers, taking them through a story filled to the brim with heart (sorry, Tin Man). 

The most recent addition to the world of the Wicked Witch, “Wicked: For Good,” picks up one year following the events of “Wicked” (2024). After defying the Wizard of Oz, Elphaba now travels throughout the land, trying (and failing) to end the oppressive regime being inflicted upon the animals of Oz by, you guessed it, the Wizard. Elphaba’s inner struggle with acceptance and deciding what she wants from her life is ever-present in this second film and is expanded upon in the new song, “There’s No Place Like Home.” 

The song, while obviously reminiscent of a famous phrase from the classic Technicolor film, explores Elphaba’s love for Oz while simultaneously tackling the growing authoritarian rule that has arisen as a result of a new onslaught of fascism, all brought on by the wizard. 

On the opposite side of the fight is Glinda, who has become a living, breathing propaganda machine for the Wizard and his ruthless accomplice, Madame Morrible. Glinda spends much of the film battling her identity as well, questioning everything that has led her to where she is now. At Glinda’s side is her rather unwilling fiancé, Prince Fiyero, who still holds a candle for his true love, Elphaba. 

While Elphaba struggles to accept the good within herself, no matter what others have led her to believe, Glinda must come to terms with the entirety of who she is, including the good, the bad and the ugly, if she is ever going to step up and truly become Glinda the Good. This dilemma leads to the witches remaining estranged for a good portion of the film, though they keep finding themselves drawn to each other. 

Throughout the film’s narrative, famous characters from the 1939 masterpiece are thrown into the fray, giving them new backstories that were introduced in the Broadway production. This includes the likes of the Cowardly Lion, who is unsurprisingly the lion cub rescued by Elphaba in “Wicked (2024),” and the Scarecrow, who is none other than Elphaba’s true love, Fiyero. 

The Tin Man, during a pivotal moment in “Wicked: For Good,” is revealed to be none other than Boq, a munchkin from the first film who, even after he unwittingly finds himself stuck in a loveless life of servitude with Nessarose, never wavers in his devotion to Glinda. That is, until he no longer has a heart. The famous Dorothy Gale even makes an appearance, though viewers never see her face. 

“Wicked: For Good” certainly found a way to live up to, and even surpass, the success of “Wicked (2024),” making an impact that will last for years to come. In the words of Elphaba and Glinda, “Because I knew you, I have been changed for good.”