Movie review
The Ritual
Woke Score
Lower is better
- Release Date
- October 11, 2017
- Age Rating
- R
- Runtime
- 94 min
Where to Watch
United States · Last checked 5/13/2026
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Breakdown
Factors & Ratings
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for The Ritual.
Representation / casting choices
All-male ensemble exactly matches the story of four college mates on a guys' trip; one British-Pakistani actor's inclusion is realistic for a contemporary UK friend group with no audience-visible signaling or forced diversity.
Political / ideological dialogue
Zero political, activist, or identity-related lines; dialogue stays on grief, blame, survival decisions, and the immediate threat.
Identity-driven story themes
Central engine is guilt over a robbery murder and male friendship breakdown under stress; no racial, gender, queer, or representation-focused arcs or subtext.
Institutional / cultural critique
Folk-horror pagan cult and ancient entity presented as timeless evil with no reframing into critiques of patriarchy, capitalism, colonialism, toxic masculinity, or Western institutions.