Movie review
September 7, 2018 · 105 min · PG · Kids · Sci-Fi · Animation · Comedy · Action · Adventure · Family
Mai Su is a lonely, angry girl who lives with her mother in a bright future city filled with helpful robots. Her father is gone, and her mother pays more attention to robot products than to her. Mai finds 7723, a secret fighting robot with damaged memory, and uses him to scare the bullies who hurt her. Their violent adventure grows into a friendship as they face a robot army and a plan to destroy humanity.
The film puts an Asian girl and her Asian mother at the center, and several prominent girls drive the school and rescue scenes. Mai is not presented as a perfect hero because she uses 7723 for revenge and must learn to control her anger. The story gives more weight to grief, bullying, friendship, memory, and the danger of trusting a powerful technology company than to race or gender politics. Its main message is that painful memories still shape a person, and that people should use power to protect others instead of hurting them.
Community feedback
Was our 22% Woke rating accurate?
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Next Gen.
Woke representation / casting
The film centers Asian characters Mai and Molly, and Asian-American actors voice both roles. The filmmakers publicly linked that choice to avoiding whitewashing and giving Asian-American actors opportunities. The future city also shows a mixed group of children, including several visible girls in school scenes. The casting is mostly tied to the characters and setting, so the identity signal stays limited.
18%
Woke political dialogue
The story uses broad lines about injustice and making the world better. It does not hold a current political debate or push a party, movement, or policy.
5%
Identity-driven story themes
The movie gives an angry girl the main action role and lets her help save the city. The opening uses Bikini Kill’s “Rebel Girl,” and the directors said all songs tied to Mai use female vocals. Mai is also shown as flawed because she seeks revenge and must change. This gender framing stays brief and does not become a story about women’s rights or identity politics.
22%
Western institutional / cultural critique
Not present. The film warns that a giant technology company and its CEO can misuse power. That warning stays a general science-fiction danger and does not attack capitalism, patriarchy, Christianity, or Western culture.
0%
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant. The film adapts the 7723 comic, but no identity-driven change to an established character, canon, or real figure is shown or reported.
0%
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
One tiny account called the film woke from the opening and mocked the lead’s gender.
12%
Creator track record context
Most listed writers, both directors, and the producer have no documented activist pattern in the available creator record. Writer Bianca Siercke has publicly supported trans employees and diverse hiring in animation. Casting director Allyson Bosch has a modest record of diverse children’s projects. The wider creator context is limited.
16%
Production
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