Movie review
April 5, 2023 · 103 min · R
Woke Score
Lower is better
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for The Pope's Exorcist.
Woke representation / casting
The cast is predominantly white and fits the 1980s European, Italian, and American characters in the story world. No audience-visible diversity emphasis, race or gender swaps, or identity signaling in casting or marketing.
Woke political dialogue
All dialogue stays within Catholic exorcism, faith, doubt, and demonic conspiracy themes; no modern political language, social justice references, or activist rhetoric appears.
Identity-driven story themes
The narrative follows traditional Catholic beliefs about possession, evil, and Church authority with no race, gender, sexuality, or identity-based plotlines or messaging.
Western institutional / cultural critique
A fictional Vatican conspiracy exists in the plot, but it is framed as a demonic attack on the Church rather than any modern activist-style attack on Western institutions, patriarchy, traditional gender roles, or Christianity itself. The exorcist hero defends those institutions.
Review
The Pope's Exorcist is a 2023 supernatural horror film starring Russell Crowe as Father Gabriele Amorth, the real Vatican's chief exorcist. Set in 1987, it follows Amorth's investigation of a young boy's demonic possession in Spain that leads to the discovery of an ancient conspiracy threatening the Catholic Church. The story draws from Amorth's memoirs and centers on traditional Catholic themes of faith, spiritual warfare, sacrifice, and the battle between good and evil.
Woke character or canon changes
The film takes notable artistic license with real events from Amorth's life and books by adding a major conspiracy and American family storyline for thriller pacing, though the central exorcism faith elements stay consistent with the source inspiration.
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
No complaints in mainstream coverage or social media accused the film of pushing woke, DEI, or identity politics content; existing criticism came from Catholic traditionalists over dramatization and accuracy only.
Creator track record context
The director and main writers have careers in straightforward genre entertainment with no recurring activist, DEI, queer, or identity-driven patterns. The source author was a conservative Catholic priest who publicly opposed modern cultural practices he viewed as opening doors to evil.
Production
