Ophelia reimagines Shakespeare's Hamlet by centering Ophelia as a hyper-competent heroine, often at the expense of Hamlet and others. This perspective shift clearly prioritizes modern identity themes, with Ophelia's skill and agency emphasized more than plausible within its original context. Some viewers might see this emphasis as sacrificing traditional character dynamics for ideology.

The film largely subverts established gender roles, placing female empowerment front and center while sidelining themes of traditional family, authority, and masculinity. Cultural traditions and the original Shakespearean moral framework are reinterpreted to fit modern sensibilities, an intentional reframing that may feel like revisionism to some.

Traditional perspectives, especially regarding gender and authority, are marginalized or presented through weak, unsympathetic characters. Alternative worldviews are barely explored, and the narrative pushes a uniform set of modern values with little room for genuine debate or conflict.