The Woman King

The Woman King (2022) is a movie my wife and I caught in theatres last night. The storyline follows an African kingdom with a new(er) king in 1823 who posses the only female army in Africa. The leader of the female Army has a past that haunts her but the respect of her king, enough to be on his council. She strongly urges him to avoid the slave trade and find alternative methods of riches. Meanwhile, those who do believe strongly in the slave trade look to march on the kingdom and bring them down. A new recruitment class to the female army brings brashness, new ideas to defend the kingdom, and the female leader's ghosts back to the forefront...

This movie is directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood (Love & Basketball) and stars Viola Davis (The Help), Thuso Mbedu (The Underground Railroad), Lashana Lynch (No Time to Die), Sheila Atim (Doctor Strange: In the Mouth of Madness), John Boyega (Star Wars: Episode VII-IV) and Jimmy Odukoya (Mamba's Diamond).

This movie has so much depth and contains a great primary plot and even better sub plots. The writing is remarkable, thorough and very impressive. The character's inner demons are well portrayed as is their struggle to overcome them. The acting is out of this world across the board. You feel for every character; and if anything happens to anyone, you feel personally hurt. The villains were also excellent as is the outcome of each of them. The settings and cinematography is outstanding and there is impressive use of lighting. The action scenes are remarkable and the fight choreography is award winning caliber. My only complaint is an awkward love story that is obviously in here to show maturity and self discovery but I could have done without it.

Overall, this movie has literally everything you'd want in a movie - tremendous action, great villains, self discovery and character triumph. I would strongly, strongly recommend seeing this movie and score it a 10/10. We loved it.

I did like : costumes were somewhat historically accurate which is nice.

Visuals are stunning.

Actors performance is decent.

I didn't like : historical inaccuracies which I as history geek couldn't turn a blind eye but if you are not familiar with history you may not notice it.

Somewhat vague story with no twists neither character development.

All characters paths and endings can be anticipated as it is obvious from start.

I didn't understood : why is the title Woman King ? She was Queen, why not use the proper title ?

Summary : plot is very vague. Movie is claiming to focus on rich history but in reality is pumping one action scene after another with very very vague, boring and poor written dialogues in between and totally sidelining the lesson in history which every high school history teacher would grade with D to F.

It is just another "watch and never return to" movie which I regret watching and I guarantee that majority of audience will not remember it in month or two.

"The Woman King" attempts to bring to life the gripping Franco-Dahomean War, but unfortunately, it falls miserably short. This historically inaccurate and poorly executed film can only be described as a cinematic disaster. From start to finish, it fails to capture the true essence of the conflict, leaving audiences perplexed and disappointed.

One of the most glaring issues with "The Woman King" is its blatant disregard for historical accuracy. The Franco-Dahomean War, a significant conflict that took place in the late 19th century, was marked by intense battles between the French colonial forces and the Amazons of Dahomey. However, this movie manages to distort and muddle the true events to such an extent that it becomes unrecognizable.

Moreover, the film's narrative lacks depth and fails to create a meaningful connection with the audience. The characters are poorly developed, and their motivations are vague and inconsistent. The performances, despite the talent of the cast, feel uninspired and detached, leaving viewers disengaged from the story.

The production design and visual effects are equally disappointing. The sets and costumes lack authenticity, making it difficult to immerse oneself in the time period. The action sequences are poorly choreographed and lack the intensity and excitement one would expect from a war film.

"The Woman King" not only fails as a historical drama but also as a piece of entertainment. It falls victim to numerous clichés and predictable plot devices, making it an unoriginal and tedious viewing experience. The pacing is uneven, with long stretches of monotony interrupted by abrupt shifts in tone that feel forced and disjointed.

In conclusion, "The Woman King" misses the mark on every level. Its lack of historical accuracy, underdeveloped characters, and uninspiring execution make it a regrettable addition to the genre. Despite the fascinating backdrop of the Franco-Dahomean War, this film fails to capture the essence and importance of the conflict. Save yourself the disappointment and skip this misguided attempt at historical storytelling.

I watched this movie not knowing much about it. So it made me curious. I love history, and I found after some research that I had to agree with History vs Hollywood. "To make a movie that celebrates the Dahomey is a glaring example of how Hollywood likes to morph history, either by way of omission or outright fabrication. If you're going to watch The Woman King, read about the true story of the Kingdom of Dahomey first. Otherwise, take everything you're seeing with a grain of salt." I knew many tribes sold other captured tribes to the European slave traders, but that is putting it mildly with the Mahomey. They were a very cruel tribe that perpetuated it.

This is an insult on those people who were killed/enslaved, sold and used. History should not be rewritten and slavers should never be glorified! It completely baffles me how this movie is excused and celebrated by some people. (But I guess that's what happen when the education system fails people and children grow up learning their entire skillset from social media...)

Hollywood should have create a female empowerment movie about a different story, because this whole thing is just entirely infuriating.

I never would have imagine that one day I will see a movie come out about slavers being the good guys and somehow this should be about empowerment? What are you empowering? Betrayal? Slavery? The exploitation of people who are conquered, beaten, stolen from their homes? This is morally disgusting, no matter how well executed the movie is.