Is It: Chapter Two woke?
Movie · 2019
It: Chapter Two has a wokeness score of 5/10, which we rate as Socially Conscious. Clear woke themes are present and intentional, but feel balanced and organic to the story. The message supports the plot and characters rather than dominating them.
Key points
- Opens with graphic homophobic hate crime scene highlighting anti-LGBTQ violence as social commentary.
- Features Black character Mike Hanlon as central moral figure and group's historian.
- Includes themes of domestic abuse, trauma, and small-town bigotry integrated into horror plot.
Wokeness analysis
It: Chapter Two opens with a graphic depiction of a homophobic hate crime against a gay couple in Derry, directly adapting a scene from Stephen King's novel to highlight bigotry and violence against LGBTQ individuals. Director Andy Muschietti has stated this serves as social commentary on ongoing issues like homophobia and hate crimes, framing the town's evil as tied to human prejudice rather than solely supernatural forces. The film includes a Black character, Mike Hanlon, as the group's historian and moral center who remains in Derry, providing some racial diversity in the ensemble. Beverly Marsh's arc touches on domestic abuse and trauma as the sole prominent female lead, though her story integrates into the horror plot. These elements introduce noticeable progressive themes of inclusion, anti-bigotry, and trauma representation, but they remain secondary to the core monster-hunting narrative, character reunions, and scares. The messaging feels intentional yet organic to the source material's small-town horror, without dominating the entertainment or feeling excessively preachy. Overall, it balances modern sensibilities with horror escapism, earning a mid-range score for clear but non-intrusive commentary.
Plot
Twenty-seven years after defeating Pennywise, the adult Losers Club members are called back to Derry, Maine, when the clown returns. Now in their forties, the group confronts their forgotten childhood traumas and deepest fears while battling the shape-shifting entity once more. The story expands on personal demons, relationships, and the town's lingering evil, culminating in a final confrontation beneath the streets.
Analyzed by AI on June 7, 2026