Glinda and Elphaba doing For Good in Wicked: For Good
By
Brandon Zachary
Published 18 minutes ago
Brandon Zachary is a Lead Writer for Screen Rant's New Movie Team. He also writes or has written for Comicbook.com, CBR, That Hashtag Show, Just Watch, and TVBrittanyF. Brandon is an Emerging Screenwriters Semi-Finalist, co-writer of a Screencraft Quarter-Finalist, a seasoned on-screen interviewer, and a MASSIVE nerd. You can reach him at [email protected]
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The following contains spoilers for Wicked: For GoodWicked: For Good has two new songs, but how do they stack up against the rest of the soundtrack? The two Wicked films bring the Wicked stage-musical to the big screen, faithfully adapting the musical and expanding on it in certain ways to justify the adaptation into two separate films.
One of the intriguing prospects of Wicked: For Good is the inclusion of new songs, meant to flesh out Elphaba and Glinda's emotions in new solos. It also lays the groundwork for potential Oscar nominations for Original Song. Now that the film is out, it's worth comparing the new songs to the classic musical and determining how they stack up.
What New Songs Are In Wicked: For Good?
Wicked: For Good features two new songs from composer Stephen Schwartz, but neither of them can quite match the heights of the rest of the musical. "No Place Like Home" and "The Girl in the Bubble" both serve as new solo numbers for Elphaba and Glina, respectively, giving each character a solo showcase amid the musical's other, bigger duets.
They play a part in expanding the story of Wicked's second act and add to Wicked: For Good's lengthy run-time. "No Place Like Home" happens fairly early in the film, with Elphaba doing her best to convince the fleeing animals that they don't need to abandon Oz.
"The Girl in the Bubble" comes later in the movie, as Glinda realizes the severity of her situation and reflects on how she's become a pawn of the Wizard and Madame Morrible. Both tracks are solo showcases for the film's two leading ladies, giving Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande an opportunity to showcase their talents on unique tracks.
Why Wicked: For Good's New Songs Feel Lackluster
Elphaba looking off-screen in Wicked For Good trailer
Both "No Place Like Home" and "The Girl in the Bubble" have a certain level of prestige attached to them, thanks to Wicked's original composer, Stephen Schwartz, returning to write both tracks. This makes sense for the film, as it allows Wicked: For Good to be submitted for the Best Original Song category at the Academy Awards.
They also benefit from Erivo and Grande's performances, as the pair are rightly celebrated for their takes on the legendary Broadway roles. For all of Wicked: For Good's faults, none of them can be placed at the feet of either star. Instead, the problems with the movie largely stem from the bloated approach to the source material.
To justify the run-time, there's a lot of unnecessary padding that is only half an hour shorter than the original musical's entire length. "No Place Like Home" and "The Girl in the Bubble" don't help the run-time, as both songs get lengthy dedicated sections of the film. However, both songs also feel unnecessary for the actual overall narrative.
While it's nice to see Elphaba try to recruit the larger animal kingdom and Grande delivers a stirring performance of a young woman realizing how mistaken her loyalty was, both of these beats are firmly established elsewhere in the movie. As a result, these beats stall out the pacing and contribute to the expansive run-time of the movie.
This wouldn't be such a problem if either song had been as catchy as "Popular," as powerful as "Defying Gravity," or as stirring as For Good's big musical moments like "As Long As You're Mine," "No Good Deed," or "For Good." Neither song has quite the same bombast or memorable touches.
It's because both songs are ultimately somber reflections on the character singing the song, giving them a somber tone that doesn't match the otherwise melodramatic but heartbreaking tenor of something like "I'm Not That Girl." Neither of them pushes their respective singer to really go all out like "No Good Deed" or have the same emotional pull as "For Good."
Even compared to the weaker songs in the second Wicked film, songs like "Wonderful" get a visual panache and colorful vibrancy that makes it stand out. By contrast, "The Girl in the Bubble" just follows Glinda while she walks around her apartment, while "No Place Like Home" is Elphaba speaking to CGI animals that feel weightless in comparison to her.
It's a shame, because the prospect of getting new songs for Wicked was one of the most exciting elements of the film ahead of release. While neither of them is outright bad and their respective performers deliver them well, they simply don't have the same memorable energy or heartbreaking power of Wicked's other big musical moments.
As a result, neither "No Place Like Home" or "The Girl in the Bubble" really stand out, besides the novelty of being new tracks. They repeat elements of the movie that are better showcased elsewhere and do little to improve the overall narrative.
While it wouldn't be surprising to see Wicked: For Good get an Oscar nomination or two for the tracks, given the sheer popularity of the musical, neither track seems to have a chance to stand out among other likely nominees or even the rest of the songs that appear in the two Wicked movies.
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Like Follow Followed Wicked: For Good PG Drama Fantasy Romance
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Release Date
November 21, 2025
Runtime
137 Minutes
Director
Jon M. Chu
Writers
Winnie Holzman, Dana Fox, Gregory Maguire
Cast
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Cynthia Erivo
Elphaba
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Ariana Grande
Glinda
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Wicked: For Good
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Wicked
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