Movie review
September 13, 2023 · 104 min · PG-13
Woke Score
Lower is better
Review
A Haunting in Venice follows retired Hercule Poirot as he attends a Halloween séance in a decaying Venetian palazzo and investigates a murder amid claims of ghosts and spirits in post-World War II Italy. The narrative centers on classic whodunit mechanics, grief, faith versus skepticism, and personal trauma from war. One isolated line of dialogue briefly references modern gender dynamics in an otherwise conventional mystery with no recurring identity politics, activist messaging, or institutional critique.
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for A Haunting in Venice.
Woke representation / casting
International stars including Michelle Yeoh in a rewritten adult role and minor supporting gender adjustment; fits 1947 Venice setting with no visible forced diversity, signaling, or logic breaks for average viewers.
Woke political dialogue
One brief, jarring line injecting contemporary gender-fragility commentary into 1947 dialogue; no other activist speeches, slogans, or ideological content.
Identity-driven story themes
Narrative engine is murder mystery, séance investigation, grief, and faith crisis with zero identity politics, representation arcs, or social-justice messaging.
Western institutional / cultural critique
Post-war trauma and faith questions handled as historical personal drama; no modern activist portrayals of toxic masculinity, patriarchy, capitalism, or Western institutions.
Woke character or canon changes
Joyce Reynolds substantially altered from child witness to adult psychic (Yeoh); added horror focus and minor gender swap in supporting roles; fan-noted deviations but not framed or executed as ideological.
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Negligible backlash; no measurable claims of propaganda, girlbossing, race swaps, or left-wing messaging in news or social media.
Creator track record context
No cited prior work by director, writer, or producers showing activist, identity-driven, or "woke" patterns.
Production
