Is The First Omen woke?
Movie · 2024
The First Omen has a wokeness score of 7/10, which we rate as Strongly Ideological. Woke messaging is very prominent and often feels forced or shoehorned in. Characters and plot are primarily shaped to serve the ideology. Many viewers feel the agenda overshadows the entertainment.
Key points
- Strong emphasis on female bodily autonomy and resistance to patriarchal religious control
- Portrays Catholic Church as hypocritical institution abusing women to maintain power
- Explicit ties to contemporary post-Roe v. Wade reproductive rights anxieties
Wokeness analysis
The First Omen (2024) centers its narrative on female bodily autonomy and reproductive control by patriarchal religious institutions, explicitly drawing parallels to post-Roe v. Wade debates and modern anxieties about women's agency. Directed by Arkasha Stevenson with a female perspective, it reframes the Antichrist's origin as a conspiracy by Catholic clergy to regain power amid secularism and youth rebellion in 1971 Rome, portraying the Church as a hypocritical, oppressive force that weaponizes fear and violates women's bodies through forced impregnation and birth. Reviews highlight its body horror as a metaphor for systemic control of female reproduction, with creators confirming intent to explore 'autonomy over the female body' and critique 'patriarchal institutions.' While the core horror plot remains intact as a prequel to the 1976 original, these elements feel deliberately layered in to deliver social commentary on religion, power, and gender, making the ideology prominent rather than incidental. The film avoids heavy-handed lecturing but prioritizes these themes through Margaret's arc of defiance against the institution, sisterhood among victims, and graphic birth scenes symbolizing loss of agency. This approach resonates with progressive critiques of traditional structures while alienating viewers seeking pure escapism or neutral horror.
Plot
Set in 1971 Rome, The First Omen follows American novitiate Margaret Daino, who arrives at a Catholic orphanage eager to take her vows. She bonds with troubled orphan Carlita and uncovers a sinister conspiracy by a rogue faction within the Church to engineer the birth of the Antichrist through satanic rituals and forced impregnation of women. As Margaret questions her faith and faces personal horrors, including her own unwitting role in the plot, the film builds to a shocking revelation about Damien's origins, setting up the events of the original 1976 Omen while emphasizing themes of institutional betrayal and female victimhood.
Analyzed by AI on September 2, 2026