By Madi Andrada
The long awaited sequel to the movie adaptation of the broadway show, Wicked, directed by Jon M. Chu finally came out on the 21st of November, 2025.
Now that both of the movies are out, many have been comparing the two movies to each other. That just leaves us with the question: which is better?
The first movie, Wicked, follows the storyline of Act I of the Broadway production, of how Elphaba and Glinda, formally Galinda, meet at Shiz University. When the two polar opposites first meet each other, they absolutely loathe each other. Then throughout the movie they become best friends.
Wicked: For Good, follows Act II, which takes place a year after Elphaba had defied gravity and falsely earned the title of “The Wicked Witch of the West.” While Glinda earned the title of “Glinda the Good Witch of the North.” The two best friends are put against each other by society and are expected to hate each other, although they only have love for each other.
Now back to the big question, which movie is better? Based on being close to the original broadway show, Wicked is better. However if you’re looking for an entertaining movie with lots of different scenery, Wicked: For Good is better.
The budgets for both of these movies were very high. Amounting to ~$350 million all together. Wicked’s budget was approximately $150 million, while Wicked: For Good had a $200 million budget.
This gave Wicked: For Good a wider range of things they could do. Some changes included two original songs, “No Place Like Home” sung by Cynthia Erivo, and “The Girl in a Bubble” sung by Ariana Grande. They were also able to have a wide variety of sets, and use more CGI for detailing.
In terms of character development, Wicked has a better depiction of the character development for Elphaba. On the other hand, Wicked: For Good has a better depiction of character development through Glinda.
For example in Wicked, Elphaba’s character development focuses on how she realizes the way Oz has been ran, is all based on lies from the Wizard and Madame Morrible. She goes from being the biggest fan of The Wizard of Oz, to being the biggest hater. In Wicked: For Good, Glinda’s character development focuses on how she realizes she does not need to live up to everyone’s expectations.
On the set for Wicked: For Good, they used more CGI on all of the sets than they did for Wicked. This made the set on Wicked feel more immersive and realistic than Wicked: For Good. It also made the sets feel more magical.
Overall the public favors Wicked: For Good. Bilge Ebiri, from the magazine Vulture says, “…but it is altogether more somber, more focused, more human than the first film” about Wicked: For Good. That’s the public’s opinion, so what do our peers think?
Emily Hidalago 10th grade, when asked which movie she liked better she stated, “I like the first movie better than the second movie, because I like the songs, the sets, and the story is more appealing to me.”
Scarlett Tarango, 12th grade, said that she liked Wicked more, “Wicked: For Good’s plot pacing is worse than Wicked.”
Since both of the movies are out, I would suggest you should grab some popcorn and some tissues so you can decide for yourself, which movie is better!
beniciapaw.com 