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.

It's odd with all it's patronising preaching that Hollywood are happy to glorify a character and story as long as the character is diverse.

The fact the Dahomey Tribe are the tribe that not only killed their brothers and sisters from neighbouring tribes for dominance ( normally broadcast as a white pursuit ) but also caged their people and sold them to the white slave traders, a fact omitted by " open-minded " kollywood.

Viola's character only became a leader as most of the men had been killed or sold by other communities to the slave trading fleet.

Viola Davis is a superbly diverse actress in terms or her movies and so varied characters. The fact she took this job with the tribe in questions' horrific humanitarian slaughter as well as selling tribesmen and women for goods, cigarettes and alcohol really shocks me. Only in this twisted world would humans who capture, cage and sell their kin be proclaimed as heroic figures and those who buy said humans be monsters.

I only watched 30 mins of this movie and have boycotted the rest in solidarity with victims and survivors of slavery past, present and sadly future.

( The stars are in respect of Viola Davi's and John Boyega )

It's not the first time that Hollywood makes a film set in a different culture while showing little respect for that culture or history. Think El Cid with Charlton Heston, Mulan or even Ben Hur. The difference is it is now the turn of African historic characters and events to be butchered. There is nothing fundamentally wrong with it. After all, artists should be able to take any story and reinterpret it as they see fit. The issue is when you position yourself as a hero for doing it. As if all Africans should be thankful that Hollywood finally decided to butcher one of their stories, and tell it the only way a valid movie can be made: the American way.

While the production design is admittedly strong, everything else is bland and poor, and insulting to African culture. From the costumes to the character motivations to the horrible lines, everything is reduced to a traditional American action movie, and not one of the best. Often times, you have the feeling of watching Mulan or Pocahontas, which are likely the filmmaker's primary film references. It's that bad.

With its unashamed cultural imperialism, The Woman King is a symptom of the worst our times have to offer.

It's not a bad film. It does mangle history beyond all belief.

The Dahomey didn't stop capturing, enslaving and selling captured fellow Africans because of a sudden attack of conscious. They did it because the British Royal Navy shut down all forms of trafficking in the Mediterranean and West coast of Africa from the early 19th century onwards. Dahomey, now Benin, ceased as a kingdom in 1904 as a direct result.

The film is weak in the first hour, but gets better in the second. Direction and script are poor, the fight sequences are heavily choreographed to the point of being quite laughable. Overall the production lacked a little grit and believability.

Woman King" attempts to retell historical events, but instead of staying true to the original narrative, it takes liberties that ultimately detract from the story's integrity. This film serves as a prime example of how modifying history for the sake of entertainment can result in a disappointing and inaccurate portrayal.

One of the most egregious aspects of "Woman King" is its blatant disregard for the true events and characters it claims to depict. By altering crucial details and fabricating scenes, the film not only distorts history but also undermines the significance of the actual events and the people involved. Rather than honoring the bravery and sacrifices of historical figures, "Woman King" reduces them to mere caricatures, robbing them of their complexity and depth.

Moreover, the deviations from historical accuracy serve no discernible purpose other than to sensationalize the story and cater to Hollywood conventions. The result is a narrative riddled with clichés and contrived plot points, which do little to engage or enlighten the audience. Instead of shedding light on lesser-known aspects of history, "Woman King" perpetuates misconceptions and reinforces stereotypes, doing a disservice to both the past and the present.

Furthermore, the film's disregard for historical accuracy extends to its portrayal of cultural and social dynamics. By glossing over or outright ignoring the nuances of the time period, "Woman King" presents a sanitized version of history that fails to capture the complexities of the era. This not only detracts from the authenticity of the story but also diminishes its potential impact as a work of historical fiction.

In summary, "Woman King" is a disappointing film that sacrifices historical accuracy for the sake of entertainment. By distorting the true events and characters it claims to depict, the film not only fails to do justice to the historical figures it portrays but also perpetuates misconceptions and stereotypes. Rather than offering insight into the past, "Woman King" serves as a cautionary tale of the dangers of sacrificing truth for the sake of a compelling narrative.