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.

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.

Terrible movie. Bad acting. There are much better movies to watch. Story line is typical. Could have made this movie better, but they choose a certain message and certain actors and actresses. In the world of action movies and heroes, this one didn't make the grade. Directing was OK and the cinematography wasn't too bad either. But the whole story line and premise of the movie has been done before and isn't interesting. I'm sure there are people that will find it interesting and entertaining, just wasn't me or the 3 others that watched it with me. I certainly hope they don't do a second one.. cause I won't watch it.

This movie is a complete reimagining of history.

Once again trying to convince people that history I somehow subjective. The tribe this movie is based on were slavery. They were not the heros or the victims. They murdered, enslaved, and sold other Africans at every chance they could get.

Not to mention that they lost a war where the other side took little to no casualties.

This movie belongs in the fantasy section since the only people who could possibly believe it was remotely true are living in a fantasy.

Stop trying to re-write history and gaslight everyone who appreciates history for what it is.

"It's true and real" a direct quote from one of the cast members of this film.

Why don't we do some changing of history too.

The British Stopped dahome from doing the slave trade.

Oh wait no that's true.

Let's try again The women warriors of Dahome stopped the slave trade

No that isn't true Well that's what this movie seems to think happened.

It feels like a history teacher who hates white people made this movie, lying, changing, history.

Here is a summary of what actually happened.

In 1851-1852, the British imposed a naval blockade on the ports of Dahomey in order to force them to end the slave trade.

Ah so it wasn't the women warriors who stopped it I see..