Movie review
April 3, 2024 · 119 min · R
Woke Score
Lower is better
Review
The First Omen is a 2024 supernatural horror prequel set in 1971 Rome. It follows American novitiate Margaret Daino as she arrives at a Catholic orphanage and uncovers a conspiracy by Church radicals to engineer the birth of the Antichrist by violating and controlling women's bodies. The narrative centers on female bodily autonomy, institutional betrayal, and graphic maternity horror as Margaret confronts the loss of choice and the Church's use of sexual violence for power. This feminist reimagining of the Antichrist's origins is audience-visible through recurring themes of patriarchal oppression and has been explicitly tied in reviews to post-Roe v. Wade debates on reproductive rights.
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for The First Omen.
Woke representation / casting
Casting of Nell Tiger Free as the American lead and supporting roles (Sônia Braga, international ensemble) fits the 1971 Roman Catholic orphanage and convent setting without forced diversity, race/gender swaps, or story mismatches.
Woke political dialogue
References to Church radicals losing power to secularism exist but remain plot-serving rather than frequent explicit modern political speeches or lectures.
Identity-driven story themes
Central and recurring focus on a woman's trauma from forced maternity, loss of bodily autonomy, and institutional gender-based exploitation drives the horror and character arc; widely received as feminist and linked to contemporary reproductive politics.
Western institutional / cultural critique
The Catholic Church is portrayed as a hypocritical patriarchal cabal that rapes and breeds women to preserve power against secularism; the critique centers on oppression of female bodies and faith, with reception explicitly connecting it to modern patriarchal control and bodily rights debates.
Woke character or canon changes
Minor expansions and alterations to original 1976 Omen lore (Damien's conception details, some supporting arcs) enable the new female-centric conspiracy; discussed by fans as creative prequel choices, not ideological.
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Niche religious criticism for blasphemy and anti-Church elements; no prominent or broad accusations of pushing woke, activist, DEI, or left-wing identity messaging. Debate remains mild and horror-focused.
Creator track record context
Stevenson highlights female perspective in this debut; no established history of activist or identity-politics-driven prior work.
Production
