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The Rookies
Movie

The Rookies

2019 • Unknown

Woke Score
2
out of 10

Plot

Extreme sport lover Zhou Feng got involved in an international illegal trade by accident. So he had to follow an international special agent Bruce to Budapest. Together with a crappy police officer Miao Yan, a non-professional scientist Ding Shan and an unemployed doctor LV, they became an amateur unit. In company with the senior agent Bruce, these four rookies started a fight with the terrorists that was both thrilling and hilarious.

Overall Series Review

The Rookies (2019) is a Chinese action-comedy film focused on an extreme sports enthusiast who is accidentally recruited into a secret international agent organization to stop a global terrorist plot. The narrative is driven by slapstick humor, over-the-top action sequences, and the classic 'amateurs save the world' trope. The plot centers on an international special agent, Bruce, guiding four Chinese-speaking rookies—an athlete, a crappy police officer, a scientist, and a doctor—to retrieve the literal Holy Grail, which has become a bargaining chip for a chemical weapon that turns people into plants. The film is fundamentally a globe-trotting spy parody, utilizing international locations like Budapest without engaging in social or political commentary. The core conflict is a morally objective fight against a madman's plan for global destruction, with a focus on personal growth and teamwork rather than identity-based issues or philosophical critique. The film's primary tropes are those of the action-comedy genre, with mixed execution, rather than contemporary political or social messaging.

Categorical Breakdown

Identity Politics2/10

The narrative centers on a Chinese-led amateur team proving their mettle against international terrorists, aligning with a universal meritocracy framework where individuals are judged by their actions and potential, not their immutable characteristics. The diverse international casting, which includes a white senior agent, a Chinese rookie team, and a New Zealand/American actor as the primary villain, is primarily a function of a Chinese production with global appeal, not a lecture on systemic oppression or privilege. There is no visible vilification of 'whiteness' or forced insertion of diversity that frames the plot.

Oikophobia1/10

The film does not display hostility toward Western civilization. The action takes place in Budapest, a Western city, which serves as a neutral backdrop for the global spy plot. The villain, Iron Fist, is an apocalyptic madman whose motive is a 'new world order with only good people and plants,' a goal unrelated to systemic or civilizational self-hatred. The heroes are a Chinese-led team saving the world from a universal threat, which promotes an international alliance against chaos.

Feminism5/10

Gender dynamics are mixed, resulting in a moderate score. Senior Agent Bruce, played by Milla Jovovich, is an elite, competent, and commanding female leader who recruits and guides the male protagonist, fitting the 'Girl Boss' trope of a dominant female mentor. However, one of the female rookie characters, Miao Yan, is explicitly described as a 'crappy police officer' prone to rage, countering the 'Mary Sue' trope by being highly flawed and unprofessional. The story does not feature anti-natalist themes or negative commentary on family, as the focus remains strictly on the spy mission.

LGBTQ+1/10

The movie contains no discernible content related to centering alternative sexualities, deconstructing the nuclear family structure, or lecturing on gender ideology. The focus is exclusively on high-octane action and comedy, adhering to a normative structure where sexuality and gender are not points of ideological discussion or narrative focus.

Anti-Theism2/10

There is minimal treatment of religion, and what is present is utilized purely as an action movie MacGuffin. The plot revolves around securing the literal Holy Grail as a bargaining chip for a chemical weapon. This use of a Christian religious artifact is uncritical and secular, serving as an objective plot device rather than a target for hostility. The narrative is a battle between good and evil, acknowledging objective moral laws (saving the world from a mad terrorist) without providing a spiritual or religious framework for that morality.