Movie review
February 13, 2019 · 100 min · PG-13
Woke Score
Lower is better
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Happy Death Day 2U.
Woke representation / casting
Natural mix of college students that fits the setting and story world; no forced diversity, gender swaps, or signaling.
Woke political dialogue
No political speeches, activist lines, or social-justice talk anywhere in the film.
Identity-driven story themes
Plot stays on personal trauma, friendship, romance, and time-travel fixes; zero focus on race, gender, sexuality, or identity politics.
Western institutional / cultural critique
Only a brief sci-fi ending gag with a government agency taking the machine; no modern activist framing of patriarchy, capitalism, or Western norms.
Review
Happy Death Day 2U is a 2019 sci-fi black comedy slasher sequel. College student Tree Gelbman wakes up in a parallel universe after a quantum experiment by her boyfriend’s roommate creates a new time loop. She must die repeatedly to fix broken timelines, protect her friends from a masked killer, and sort out personal issues like family loss and relationships. The film stays focused on time-travel mechanics, alternate realities, and light personal growth with no visible social, identity, or activist messaging.
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant; fully original story with no legacy characters or source material altered for ideological reasons.
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
No right-leaning or anti-woke criticism exists that accuses the film of DEI, identity politics, or propaganda.
Creator track record context
Main creatives work in commercial genre films; any past progressive notes are old or minor and do not shape this project.
Production
