27-05-2025
Movies have gone woke – and this expert can prove when it started
For decades, Hollywood has dismissed claims that it infuses films with a Left-wing agenda.
But viewers who are sick of seeing politics shoehorned into cinema finally have data on their side to prove it. An analysis of more than 50,000 films found that movies really have become more 'woke' over time.
Stephen Follows, an industry expert, determined that since the 1970s, films focused on inclusion and representation have been on the rise, with the most dramatic increase from the early 2000s onwards.
His analysis of 51,240 features from 1940 to the present day determined that there had been an increase in those with a social justice subtext, heavy-handed messaging and a focus on representation in their casts.
Mr Follows, who publishes a newsletter on the online platform Substack, used AI tools to compare general elements of plot from more than 20,000 of the films, and found that 'LGBTQ+ narratives gained visibility in the early 1970s, returned prominently in the late 1990s and early 2000s, and have risen sharply again in recent years'.
It comes after the remake of Snow White became a focus for audience anger over what was seen as the increasing 'wokeness' of modern films.
The movie provoked a major row over the casting of Rachel Zegler, a Latin American-heritage star, who publicly criticised the fairytale's original Prince Charming – cut from the new film – as 'creepy'. It was also reported to have made a loss at the box office.
Mr Follows' data show that films have lost subtlety in their political messaging, making the politics more obvious to audiences.
He looked at a vast database of reviews to glean the overall themes of each film, and compared them to a list of 'woke' giveaways.
These were themes of inclusion, some kind of social justice subtext, plots with a clear agenda, heavy-handed messaging, and a focus on representation in casting.
All of these were found to have been rising relentlessly over recent decades. For instance, only around 5 per cent of films mentioned social reform and rights in the mid-1970s. Today that has risen to more than 10 per cent.
Casting backlash
Some films have faced a backlash over their obvious focus on representation in casting, with an all-female Ghostbusters remake losing hundreds of millions in 2016 after fans reacted angrily to the gender-swapping casting.
Casting decisions also proved contentious for the Little Mermaid live-action remake in 2023, for which Halle Bailey, a black actress, was chosen to play Ariel. Song lyrics about kissing were also tweaked to ensure due attention was paid to consent.
Other films that struggled at the box office have attempted to include greater LGBT representation, including Lightyear, a Toy Story prequel featuring a lesbian kiss.
Analysis found that direct story-telling on a particular theme, such as feminism, has increased over the years, with films like Roe v Wade and Suffragette clear examples.
Audiences have become impatient with some perceived political messaging.
In television, the BBC's Doctor Who has become increasingly unpopular, with many viewers feeling that 'woke' storylines had weakened the series.
It has included a non-binary villain, a pregnant male alien, the transgender daughter of the Doctor's companion, and suggestions that Doctor Who is gay and attracted to Isaac Newton in one time-travelling adventure.
The viewership of the programmes, which currently stars Ncuti Gatwa in the lead role, has shrunk by about two million since 2021.
