Movie review
October 21, 2022 · 105 min · PG-13
Woke Score
Lower is better
Review
The story engine runs on a Black punk teen girl fighting corporate villains who arson a brewery and push a for-profit private prison to lock up the town’s kids via the school-to-prison pipeline. Kat’s personal grief arc is tied to this anti-capitalist, anti-privatization crusade the whole way through. A trans boy named Raúl (voiced by a trans actor) is her key ally, with his identity casually normalized and central to the resistance—he revives people, paints the mural, and helps take down the prison scheme. Black girlboss rebellion and queer inclusion get heavy emphasis alongside the prison sermons.
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Wendell & Wild.
Woke representation / casting
Black lead with deliberate representation push plus prominent, plot-relevant trans boy character (normalized identity, voiced by trans actor); visible emphasis even if it fits the modern setting.
Woke political dialogue
Ideology shows more through plot actions than constant speeches, but prison profiteering is hammered as the big evil.
Identity-driven story themes
Kat’s Black punk girl rebellion and close friendship/allyship with trans Raúl drive personal growth and town-saving resistance.
Western institutional / cultural critique
Central narrative attacks for-profit private prisons and school-to-prison pipeline as modern corporate/systemic evil destroying a community; clear activist framing.
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Niche complaints on trans rep and preachy anti-prison themes; no widespread or dominant backlash.
Creator track record context
Jordan Peele’s history of identity/social commentary plus his direct push for POC/trans-inclusive casting here.
Production
