***SPOILERS BELOW***

Since Wicked’s release in 2003, it has never left Broadway, grossing over 8,000 performances and currently standing as the third longest running musical currently on Broadway. In the 21st century, film adaptations of musical movies have gained popularity with the widespread success of Les Miserables, Chicago, Into The Woods, In The Heights, Phantom Of The Opera, and virtually every other musical movie aside from Cats.

In 2021, the Wicked movie was officially greenlit, with Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande cast as co-leads. A year later, the movie was announced to be split into two films; Wicked and Wicked: For Good. The first film came out late 2024, receiving an 88% Rotten Tomatoes score, grossing over 750 million dollars at the box office, and receiving 10 Academy Award nominations. Now, the question is could the second film live up to the standards that the first one set?

In 2025, Wicked: For Good was released. What do members of the Northside community think about the film? Did it change them for the better or for the worse?

Students returned from the film with specific reviews on two songs: “No Good Deed” and “For Good.” In “No Good Deed,” the main character, Elphaba, reflects on all of the backlash and destruction that’s come from her attempting to do good, but how it’s only caused more harm. It’s a flashy and dramatic musical number carried by Cynthia’s haunting vocals, beautiful filmography and scenery, and pure emotion.

Freshman Clara Navejas gave the film a glowing 5/5 rating, saying, “I really like Cynthia Erivo’s ‘No Good Deed.’ It gave me chills!” Freshman Nicole D’Alessandro stated, “[My favorite part was] the entire ‘No Good Deed’ sequence.” 

Another highlight was “For Good.” This is the climax of the film, ending off the two leads’ stories with a beautifully devastating song. Elphaba and Glinda recognize that their story is coming to an end. There is no longer a world in which they can both get their happy ending. At the end of the song, a side-by-side view is shown with both women on opposite sides of the wall, sobbing and facing each other.

This moment is praised by Sophomore Cassie Tenorio-McBride. She says, “[My favorite part of the movie was] the entirety of the song ‘For Good.’ And then Elphaba’s ‘death’ afterwards, and Glinda’s reaction to it. It was so heart wrenching – we were sobbing in the theatre.” 

Junior Calvin Butcher also states, “[My favorite moment was] Elphaba and Glinda’s final conversation right before Elphaba is melted.”

While some reviews were positive, others fell on the opposite side of the spectrum. Junior Dalia Friend-Goldberg said, “I think that generally the second act of the musical is not as good as the first. The new songs they added were boring.” The new songs are in reference to “No Place Like Home” and “Girl In The Bubble,” which were two songs not originally included in the musical and were solely produced for the film. 

Freshman Nicole D’Alessandro stated, “[Wicked: For Good] was generally a good adaptation, but lost steam with pacing issues or lack of connection.” The movie clocked in at 2 hours and 17 minutes, more than doubling the runtime of the second act of the musical.

Some Northside students saw the musical prior to the movie. Senior Margaret Larson states, “Wicked holds a special place in my heart because it’s the first musical I ever saw.” Freshman Clara Navejas states, “The film stays pretty true to the musical…however, they cut one of my favorite lines, and I was super sad when I didn’t hear it. Also, the song ‘Wicked Finale’ was included in the movie, but not in the soundtrack. What’s up with that?” 

Some staff members at Northside have a passion for musical theatre, including Wicked: For Good. Fine Arts teacher Ms. Samantha Barra is a part of the Wicked fanbase. “[Wicked] was the first musical I ever saw! I was in third grade when it came to Broadway and I was immediately obsessed with it. It was a very formative theater experience for me.” 

Overall, Ms. Barra says the movie lived up to her expectations, but there were a few issues she had, saying the film drags a bit more than the broadway production. The whole Broadway show is about 2.5 hours. Why are both movies combined for about 5 hours?” Ms. Barra’s favorite song in the musical is also “No Good Deed,” saying, “It’s so powerful! I think it’s a turning point for Elphaba as a character and Cynthia Erivo sings it beautifully.”

Ms. Sara Striepling, a diverse learning teacher at Northside, also loves musical theatre and all things Wicked. She says, “‘Wicked: For Good’ continues the story of Elphaba and Glinda. It examines active versus passive forms of activism and the longevity of each. It’s also a great story of friendship.” 

She too has seen the Broadway production, stating, “I really liked some changes from the Broadway musical like the wedding scene and Nessa floating, but I didn’t think the new songs for the movie sounded out of place compared to the rest of the songs.” Despite some drawbacks, she left the film with mainly positive comments, stating, “I think the actors nailed their interpretations of the characters! You can tell everyone involved really cared about protecting the [legacy of the musical].”

Through the hard work of Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jon M. Chu, and so many more, Wicked has spawned a community of theater kids, fans, and lovers of the magic of Oz. With Northside’s average rating of 4.06/5, it’s safe to say that we have been changed for the better.