The Woman King

General Nanisca leads a unit of women, and pretty tough ones at that. They're the ones who must protect the Kingdom of Dahomey from its aggressive neighbours, but little does Nanisca know that she'll also have to confront her own past. The Woman King is a brisk and entertaining film with good action, excellent actresses and an attractive setting. However, as soon as it tries to play with more serious themes, things tend to turn banal and clichéd. (13.10.2022)

When there are only five people in the theater for a new movie on its first weekend, it doesn't bode well. I was quite excited to see The Woman King, but left the theater bored and disappointed. On Rotten Tomatoes, critics are blown away by the film, normal viewers not so much. Some complain about the woke propaganda, others complain about the inaccurate and twisted history – I personally don't care about this and went to enjoy the film, but unfortunately it failed to do much to engage me. I definitely enjoyed the unconventional setting of African culture, where we get a glimpse into the 19th century where women defended the Dahomey kingdom in Africa. A wicked time where women had only two options: marry, work and be someone's maid, or stay a virgin and fight for their country. Oscar winner Viola Davis is great, the young Thuso Mbedu was a surprise, and John Boyega as the king is also fine. Visually, the film looks average, the budget was not probably generous and the plot is not gripping enough to keep the viewer immersed. There is some interesting information and dialogue, but I was pretty fed up by the end. There's very little action, really only at the beginning and end. The finale is definitely a bright spot, the mass battle was good, though the PG-13 rating spoiled it slightly, if it was a R-rated and heads and limbs were flying I might start to be satisfied. I would also single out the scene with the training of the young recruits, which had plenty of suspense, and there was one pretty decent and unexpected twist, but even so I was bored for most of the time, and those two hours felt like three. I don't recommend going to the cinema, only for big history buffs. 5/10. (15.10.2022)