Wicked For Good: How Ariana Grande’s Oscar-Worthy Performance Elevates a Darker, More Emotional Sequel

The Verdict Is In on the Daring Gamble to Split a Broadway Juggernaut

The final note of “Defying Gravity” has faded, and the verdict is in. Wicked: For Good, the second and final chapter in director Jon M. Chu’s audacious two-part adaptation of the Broadway behemoth, has arrived, and it has done more than just stick the landing—it has deepened, darkened, and enriched the world of Oz in ways many thought impossible. Following the staggering success of 2024’s Wicked, which grossed over $758 million and nabbed two Oscars, the sequel faced immense pressure. The critical consensus is now clear: this is a more somber, more intimate, and ultimately more human film, anchored by a stunning, career-defining performance from Ariana Grande that has ignited serious Oscar buzz.

While the first film captured the fairy-tale wonder and youthful energy of Elphaba and Glinda’s time at Shiz University, Wicked: For Good shatters that illusion to explore the painful consequences of their choices. The story picks up with Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) in exile, forced to embrace her infamous reputation as the “Wicked Witch of the West,” while Glinda is trapped in a gilded cage, a pawn of the manipulative Wizard (a delightfully wacky Jeff Goldblum). It’s a darker, more mature narrative, and one that required a different musical and emotional language.

Speaking at the film’s premiere, Jon M. Chu explained the tonal shift. “In movie two, all bets are off. The fairy tale is shattered,” he told The Hollywood Reporter. This narrative turn gave the creative team, including legendary composer Stephen Schwartz, the space to explore the characters’ inner turmoil, leading to the addition of two powerful new songs. One of those songs, “The Girl in the Bubble,” has become the centerpiece of the film’s critical acclaim, largely due to the tour-de-force performance by Ariana Grande.

Across the board, critics are hailing Grande’s portrayal of Glinda as the film’s transcendent triumph. David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter praised her “tender depths,” writing that her new solo number “provides intimate access in a moment of personal crisis… Grande floods it with so much feeling that it humanizes and enriches the character and, by extension, the whole movie.” This isn’t just a supporting role anymore; the film has, as Rooney notes, “leveled the playing field,” transforming Glinda from a bubbly sidekick into a figure of profound complexity and moral conflict. This masterful performance is what has firmly placed Grande’s name in the early conversations for a Best Supporting Actress nomination.

This newfound intimacy is a recurring theme in the reviews. Bilge Ebiri of Vulture observed that Chu has traded the “epic sequences” of the first film for an “old-school intimacy,” allowing his stars to be “more balladeers than belters.” This shift, he argues, “fills out the drama” and makes the sequel a “more somber, more focused, more human” experience that brings the saga to a “surprisingly satisfying conclusion.”

Of course, the film’s unapologetic theatricality is not for everyone. An Associated Press critic found the experience to be like being “mildly waterboarded, in pink and green,” feeling more like a “Production than a movie.” However, even this dissenting voice had to concede that the film’s momentum “is owed significantly to its stars.” This sentiment was echoed by Caryn James of the BBC, who, while calling the film “the definition of preaching to the choir,” ultimately declared it “more captivating than the last and enjoyable to watch throughout.”

The emotional power of the Erivo-Grande dynamic remains the story’s unbreakable core. The stirring finale, featuring the iconic title song “For Good,” is being lauded as a cinematic gut punch. Rooney recounted hearing young women in his screening “sniffling and sobbing” through the entire final act, a testament to the film’s success in translating the raw emotional power of the stage show to the screen.

With a strong 71% on Rotten Tomatoes and a stellar 97% audience score, Wicked: For Good has solidified Chu’s two-part gamble as a resounding success. It is a grand, heartfelt, and emotionally resonant conclusion that honors its beloved source material while carving out its own cinematic identity. As USA Today’s Brian Truitt wrote, “You couldn’t ask for a more Wicked closer.” The journey to Oz may be over, but its impact, and especially the performance of its new Glinda the Good, will be celebrated for a long time to come.