Wicked: For Good solves Wicked’s big Wizard of Oz problem

Wicked‘s second act has a problem, and John M. Chu’s movie version, Wicked: For Good, has some small but important fixes. It isn’t a box-office issue: Part two of Chu’s film adaptation of one of Broadway’s biggest hits has already broken one box-office record, and will likely break plenty more, just like its 2024 predecessor Wicked. It isn’t a fandom issue: At my screening of Wicked: For Good, costumes and themed clothing abounded, with fans wearing green or pink to align with the lead characters; early viewers are already raving about the movie on social media. (Critics lean positive, but are a bit more reserved.) It isn’t even the much-discussed problem that all of the musical’s biggest and best songs are in the first act.