Movie

Middle Earth: Shadow of War 'Friend or Foe'

Name: Middle Earth: Shadow of War 'Friend or Foe'
Released: 2017

2017

14Score

Absolute Cinema

Story over sermons. Cinema first.

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Is Middle Earth: Shadow of War 'Friend or Foe' Woke? Quick Answer

Middle Earth: Shadow of War 'Friend or Foe' scores 14/100 on the IsItWoke scale and is rated Absolute Cinema.

That is the story-first end of the scale for this film.

Dialogue and character interactions focus primarily on advancing the fantasy conflict and player choices rather than delivering overt ideological messages. Characters appear organically integrated into the narrative, with minimal signs of tokenism or symbolic representation unrelated to the story.

See the full breakdown below.

Woke profile

How the score is shaped

Eight stored dimensions, each scored from 0 to 20.

Message

Characters

Story

Legacy

Politics

Lead

Tradition

Norms

Column height is the stored score out of 20

Message-first dialogue
2/20
Tokenistic characters
1/20
Ideology over story
2/20
Legacy rewriting
3/20
Modern politics injection
1/20
Protected protagonist pattern
3/20
Anti-traditional framing
0/20
Cultural normalization framing
0/20

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Why it received this score

Based on: Published title analysisConfidence: MediumLast updated: 2026-10-12

Key reasons

Dialogue and character interactions focus primarily on advancing the fantasy conflict and player choices rather than delivering overt ideological messages.
Characters appear organically integrated into the narrative, with minimal signs of tokenism or symbolic representation unrelated to the story.
The story prioritizes gameplay and player agency in a fantasy setting, with only slight ideological framing evident through legacy franchise reinterpretation.

View full breakdown

Some legacy rewriting occurs as the game expands on Tolkien's world with new characters and storylines, but this serves gameplay and narrative rather than overt ideology.
Protagonist competence and consequences are generally grounded in gameplay mechanics, though occasional narrative conveniences slightly reduce vulnerability realism.

Score signals

Signal	What was measured	Strength	Impact
Legacy rewriting	How much an existing franchise, adaptation, setting, or known property appears significantly altered, reinterpreted, or re-centered in ways that feel driven by modern ideological priorities rather than faithful or organic storytelling.	3/20	+2
Protected protagonist pattern	How much the protagonist fits the protected-protagonist pattern (agenda-driven character construction) rather than competence fantasy. Score HIGH only when: competence appears unearned or unexplained; protagonist rarely faces consequences; antagonists exist mainly to demonstrate protagonist superiority; narrative treats protagonist as symbolically superior; plot shields protagonist from vulnerability. Score LOW when: competence is grounded in training, profession, or past experience; protagonist suffers damage or setbacks; real physical danger and survival tension exist (normal action storytelling). Do not penalize competence fantasy.	3/20	+2
Message-first dialogue	How much the dialogue, monologues, or character interactions feel driven by overt messaging, moral lecturing, ideological framing, or making a point instead of serving the story naturally.	2/20	+1
Tokenistic characters	How much characters feel inserted or shaped primarily for symbolic representation, political signaling, or demographic checkbox value rather than narrative depth, organic fit, or strong characterization.	1/20	+1
Ideology over story	How much the overall storytelling prioritizes ideological framing, message delivery, social commentary, or activism-coded narrative choices over pacing, conflict, immersion, and entertainment.	2/20	+1

AI cultural analysis

A short read on tone, themes, and messaging — not a plot synopsis.

AI read

Middle Earth: Shadow of War 'Friend or Foe' primarily serves as a fantasy action narrative centered on player choice and strategic combat. The dialogue and character development remain focused on the story's conflict and gameplay dynamics, avoiding heavy ideological messaging or moral lecturing.

While the title reinterprets Tolkien's universe to some extent, these changes appear driven more by the needs of the game mechanics and narrative expansion than by modern ideological priorities. The protagonist's competence is mostly earned through gameplay progression, though some narrative moments may soften consequences for pacing or player satisfaction.