Movie review
February 14, 2024 · 117 min · PG-13
Woke Score
Lower is better
Review
Madame Web is a 2024 superhero movie about Cassandra Webb, a New York paramedic who gains the power to see the future after a close call on the job. She uses her visions to shield three teenage girls from a dangerous man who believes the girls will one day become heroes strong enough to stop him. The story centers on her uncovering family secrets from the past while forming a protective bond with the girls, who come from different ethnic backgrounds and are shown as holding important futures.
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Madame Web.
Woke representation / casting
The film gives prominent roles to three young actresses of different ethnic backgrounds as teenage girls destined for powerful heroic futures, with the story placing clear focus on protecting and highlighting this multi-ethnic group under the lead woman's guidance.
Woke political dialogue
No activist speeches, identity arguments, or modern political commentary appear in any character scenes or voiceover.
Identity-driven story themes
The narrative builds around a woman mentoring and defending a group of young women who represent the next wave of strong female heroes, with repeated emphasis on their shared potential and the protective female bond.
Western institutional / cultural critique
The story offers no reframing of Western society, patriarchy, capitalism, or institutions through activist lenses; the Amazon flashback stays tied to personal family history.
Woke character or canon changes
Production
Some updates appear in character looks and details from the original comics, including ethnic casting for one of the future heroines, though these shifts were not presented or widely debated as deliberate ideological moves.
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Online posts and certain videos criticized the film for leaning into girl power tropes or forced female empowerment, and cast comments pushed back by blaming toxic masculine online attitudes; much of the wider reaction stayed on bad execution instead.
Creator track record context
The team includes several people with minimal political profiles alongside Victoria Thomas's diverse casting work, Dennis O'Neil's older socially conscious comics stories, and one writer's prior queer-centered indie film; no strong unified modern identity or DEI pattern runs through the group.
