Hollywood is out with the second installment of its expensive reimagining of Oz, Wicked: For Good, which hit theaters November 21, 2025 starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande — a production that proves once again that big studios will spend hundreds of millions to peddle their cultural messages. The spectacle and star power are undeniable, but facts matter: this is the continuation of a two-part adaptation that the studio stretched into event cinema rather than a focused piece of storytelling.
Conservatives have every right to be suspicious when a blockbuster centers its drama on moral relativism, propaganda and rebranding villains as heroes, themes that come wrapped in glowing cinematography and catchy songs. Parents and faith-based groups raised alarms even after the first film for glamorizing witchcraft and promoting progressive social agendas aimed at impressionable audiences. The backlash and calls to boycott were not manufactured out of thin air; there is a real concern about what Hollywood chooses to normalize.
Critics have been less than unanimous in praise, and the sequel’s reviews reveal real weaknesses — reviewers point to weaker songs, uneven pacing, and a film that can’t quite match the first installment’s emotional momentum. What should have been a tidy, satisfying ending instead feels like a studio trying to have it both ways: ambitious themes with sloppy execution, and too much spectacle to hide the narrative gaps. Americans tired of being lectured by billion-dollar PR machines are noticing the difference between genuine art and agenda-driven spectacle.
The film leans hard into heavy themes — Elphaba becomes a fugitive resisting an oppressive regime while Glinda wrestles with complicity — material that could have been handled thoughtfully but was instead used to score contemporary political points. That’s fine in a play or an adult drama, but it’s a problem when the same messaging is packaged as family entertainment and shoved into multiplexes during the holiday season. Ordinary families deserve clear-eyed storytelling, not subtle indoctrination disguised as blockbuster melodrama.
Conservative commentators like Ben Shapiro have already dissected the movie on their platforms, calling out Hollywood’s predictable moralizing and reminding audiences that film criticism must include a moral dimension. These voices matter because they speak for millions of Americans who are tired of studios importing ideological talking points and selling them back as entertainment. The conversation isn’t just about whether the songs land — it’s about who controls the narratives our kids are absorbing and why.
At the end of the day, we should judge films on both artistic merit and cultural impact. If a studio wants to take risks, fine — but the public has a right to know whether those risks are genuine creativity or simply the latest vehicle for a politically fashionable sermon. Conservatives should keep voting with their wallets, supporting creators who respect family values and telling studios that America is no longer an empty billboard for progressive messaging.
America doesn’t need another Hollywood moral lecture dressed up as a musical; we need more art that uplifts rather than indoctrinates. If you care about strong families, clear moral stories, and honest entertainment, now is the time to be vocal and principled — go to the movies that earn your ticket, and skip the ones that try to earn your conformity.
