Wicked: For Good, the sequel or part two of Wicked, wove its magic at the box office and now nominations for various prestigious awards have been announced. After bringing in 150 million at its debut in North America, the movie has been recently nominated for five Golden Globe Awards according to the official Universal website. However, despite the accolades, not all fans and critics are praising the film.
While the BBC stated that Wicked: For Good was “emotionally soaring” and that the sequel or part two is “more captivating” than the first film (James), a headline in the New Yorker stated that “Wicked: For Good Is Very, Very Bad” (Change). To quote a line from the movie itself, “It’s all so confusifying, isn’t it, what’s good and what’s bad?” Yes, confusifying is a made-up word, one of many in the script.
Eye of the Gale asked Lancaster High School students and staff to offer their opinions of the movie. Of the responses received, the writing staff is somewhat confusified.
LHS junior Bree Seiple raved about the movie.
“The movie was a masterpiece. My queen Elphaba looked absolutely stunning, and the storyline was great. It is my favorite movie of all time,” she said.
In regards to the songs in part two, Seiple said they could not have been better.
“I think it is perfect,” she said.
On the other hand, she also said that the first Wicked was better than part two. Uh, it’s getting even more confusifying.
“I think that the first Wicked is better because it did a very good job at introducing the roles of the characters and building the suspense up for the second,” she said.
LHS freshman Zaine Russ said that Wicked: For Good evoked an emotional response.
“I almost cried and it was just how I imagined it, fun, exciting and a little sad,” said Russ.
Nicholas Beam , a senior at LHS, also remarked on the film’s emotional power.
“I really liked the new movie and I like it more than the first one, which was already perfect. There were a lot of scenes that felt really emotional and scenes that surprised me,” he said.
Unlike Beam, LHS junior Mckayla Smith, didn’t love Wicked: For Good as much as the prequel, Wicked.
“The second one was more or less just the same chapter, essentially for two hours. It was dry and boring and didn’t have much flavor. It felt almost like a cash grab of sorts. It was a prolonged pause at the falling action to make it seem like the climax. The ending as well just sort of sucked. I didn’t really understand what they were trying to convey. The first movie was more free and it didn’t feel as long,” said Smith.
Smith also tossed a figurative bucket of water on the sound track, too.
“I didn’t really like the music in this one. They weren’t as catchy or as impressive with the vocals. I enjoyed the music from the first one and had a really good time. The second one didn’t have the same feel or the same method to engage the audience,” she said.
Like Smith, LHS freshman Leigh-Ellen Fullen also said she liked the prequel more than part two.
“I believe that the first Wicked was better because it had better songs and I like the story line better; like the process of Glinda and Elphaba becoming friends. It’s alright but not as good as the first and it is really sad. Wicked: For Good could’ve been better by Glinda and Elphaba meeting each other again and becoming friends once again,” said Fullen.
“I like the songs from the first movie because they are more catchy but I don’t like the songs in the new movie because they aren’t very catchy. They are also just songs I wouldn’t listen to the songs on a daily basis,” she said.
LHS junior Taylor Randolph was just flat disappointed in the new film.
“I’ve seen Wicked live on Broadway, so the movie was already kind of bleeh for me but the second movie just irritated me,” said Randolph.
May everyone just agree that perhaps Wicked: For Good is just scandalacious, or rather, so bad it’s good? Yes, this is another made up word from the film. Haven’t seen it yet? Wicked: For Good is still showing in theaters. According to some news outlets, it may be streaming on various platforms like Amazon Prime early in 2026 and may soon be available on DVD, too.
