Movie review
June 28, 2019 · 129 min · PG-13
Woke Score
Lower is better
Review
Peter Parker goes on a school trip to Europe and has to fight elemental monsters alongside a new hero named Mysterio. The film features highly visible casting diversity in Peter's high school class. Prominent characters like MJ and Flash Thompson are changed to be ethnically diverse. Additionally, a transgender actor plays a minor background classmate on the trip.
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Spider-Man: Far From Home.
Woke representation / casting
The casting features highly visible representation choices, with traditional white characters like MJ and Flash Thompson played by diverse actors. Furthermore, the film cast the MCU's first openly transgender actor, Zach Barack, in a background role. Even though the character's gender identity is not mentioned on screen, this casting choice was widely publicized and celebrated as an LGBTQ+ milestone.
Woke political dialogue
The film does not contain explicit political dialogue, social-justice lectures, or activist talking points. The dialogue focuses entirely on standard teenage romance, school trips, and superhero action.
Identity-driven story themes
The main themes center on Peter's grief, responsibility, and distinguishing truth from illusion. There are no identity-driven storylines dealing with race, gender, or systemic oppression.
Western institutional / cultural critique
The movie does not critique Western institutions, traditional family structures, or masculinity. While there is a plot point about weaponized drones, it remains a standard science-fiction trope and is not framed as a modern activist critique.
Production
Woke character or canon changes
The film makes significant changes to established comic canon. Mary Jane Watson is replaced by Michelle Jones-Watson (MJ), a quirky, cynical, and ethnically diverse character. Flash Thompson is also rewritten from a physically intimidating white athlete into a smaller, internet-obsessed Hispanic student.
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Backlash was directed at the race-swapped characters and the highly publicized casting of a transgender classmate. Anti-woke critics criticized these choices as unnecessary modifications of classic characters to fit corporate diversity mandates.
Creator track record context
The main creative team of Jon Watts, Chris McKenna, and Erik Sommers have very low woke profiles. Producer Kevin Feige holds a higher score of 44/100 due to his active public support of studio-wide diversity initiatives.
