LIKES:
The Plot: A plot like this has the potential to be too extreme or get lost in one factor that everything else tumbles. Thankfully, The Woman King has succeeded on many fronts with a successful presentation. While nothing revolutionary that we haven't seen before, this film really takes a tired story and sharpens it into a spear of many elements that pulled me into the mix. The battle for slavery in the colony days holds many horrors and the movie really shows how one can make a film about fighting the horrors without going Disney on it. Amidst the overall plot are various subplots that focus on the kingdom aspect, which though not fully fleshed out like Game of Thrones, again holds great management with the time they have, establishing a good pace. It forges a community quite well, and that is the central pillar for this film to work with.
The Character Focus/Utilization: Much of the story's strength comes from the fantastic character focus of the story, and utilizing many people in the right amounts. True, Viola Davis is a main character, but the writers and director managed to extend the stories to other warriors that help give you more characters to attach too. Outside the woman warrior components, other factions hold their own merit, such as the King himself by Boyega, the evil ruler of the opposing empire, and even the love interest that forms later on in the movie. While not the most balanced, it again, keeps the components very well involved and helps spice up the tale we've heard so much.
The Cultural Aspect: Taking those characters and throwing them into a cultural tale was a brilliant choice for me. The Woman King will give you plenty of tribal activities to study and adore, finding themselves potentially captivated by the community's use of song, dance, chanting, and other rituals. Some might be hard, boring, or boastful, I'll admit that when they get a little long, but overall, very impressed with the cultural integration piece to establish the setting.
The Music: Another immersive element, this movie's film score holds two primary styles that might help get you into the setting they designed. No surprise, there is a lot of what sounds like African Tribal music to the works, the drums, shakers, and a few horns helping to give you that stereotypical sound the Lion King made famous for many of us. It works very well in the cultural settings and sometimes extends to other moments that describe the pain well. My favorite was the orchestral work, and there are moments where the theater's system amplify that sound to a very, very, high degree to sell that epic moment. Great use of music.
The Acting: No surprise, the movie has done very well to make the characters come to life in ways I had hoped they would. Not quite in your face feminist and tough, as many things choose to do, this tribe kicks major butt in the female led cast. Lynch is probably one of my favorite characters in this story, her balance is nice to see, and she shows so much in her ability to extend across emotional spectra to make a very realistic character. Young actress Mbedu crushed her role as well, getting a lot more spotlight than I had anticipated, but for the most part gets her acting down pat, including hysterical cries. I quite enjoyed her determination, but again the fact that she was not perfect was an incredible display of direction and restraint to again make fun characters. Of course, Davis is the star of the show and no surprise, she crushes it again. In what might be my favorite role of hers, at least in a while, Davis unleashes the tough woman attitude she wields so well, but then manages to pull some it back and open up her vulnerability. As the movie goes on, she may not cover quite as many levels of emotion her compatriots do, but somehow takes her angle and makes it work so well given the position of her character. Needless to say, but I will anyway, the chemistry is top notch and that's the successful part of all this ordeal is how well they work together.
The Costumes/Make Up: We aren't turning the women into orcs, elves, or donkeys, but they are transforming them into the tribal warriors of a kingdom. This film's use of costume and makeup is subtle, looking like something from a play, but again works so well in what it accomplishes. I loved the warrior looks, I loved the settlers rugged clothes showing struggle, but entitlement, and I loved the makeup evolution deepening on the scene as it brought those cultural moments to life for me.
The Setting: Small shot at this, but wow were the shots beautiful of the coast and plateaus of the kingdom. I'm not sure about all the set pieces and CGI work given the blend to this film, but the cinematography at moments is breath taking to see the world to such a degree as what they got.
The Action: By far my favorite part of the movie, the action of this film proves for the most part that we still have directors who understand dances of death. The Woman King has at least four action scenes I would call worth it, with a few micro moments to fill in the gap. In these moments, you get different feels for the moment, and the variety works very well to give these moments more of a reason than what many actors do. And in almost all the fights, the choreography is insanely good, with acting, moves, and stunt work blending together to really give the warrior's edge. I loved so much about this movie's battling, especially the epic fight about 75% of the way through the movie and feel that the bar is raised again for action choreography to follow.
DISLIKES:
A Little Scattered: The movie's plot is not perfect though, and like so many films requires more time to really capitalize on all the stories they tried to tell. The Woman King jumps around a bit at times, with several transitions diluted, or limited to these quick asides that in the grand scheme of things did very little to elevate the story. Not being mean, but so many stories does often lead to incomplete usage and there were potential stories that needed more fluff.
John Boyega's Accent: It's a bit cheesy, it's a bit forced, but that doesn't mean I hate it. Boyega does his best with the accent given, and it's not as cheesy as some might have you believe. However, there were better ways to take the character if I'm being honest.
The Villains Are A Bit Simplified/Extreme: What this means is that the Woman King's great character development arc did not extend to the antagonists of the film quite as well. Where Nanisca, Nawi, and Izogie hold so many layers to them, the other guys are just simply extreme bad guys that are lightning rods of hate to put your ire against. In addition the stereotypical moments really shine in these characters and I had liked more time to give them some depth given the power they held.
Some Hard To Watch Moments: Pertinent to the story? Yes they are, but that does not make some of the moments easy to watch if you can't handle the unfortunate truth of those times. Sensitive fans need to prep themselves for some hard to watch moments that might make the bile in your gut rise. I won't say much, but you've been warned that some details might be hard to watch.
The Final Fight is Poetic, But Not As Climactic: After the amazing fights and usage of the story elements, the final fight was a little bit of a letdown for me if I'm being honest. Sure, there are great moves at times, and there is a bit of edge to the madness, including some awesome moments of justice. But that fight before it was a thousand times better and I had liked a little more f that same coordination to make it feel like the film had not been rushed. Again, it has its own element and feel, but that last fight with so many things happening could have used a touch more time and planning for me to really call it the fantastic end it deserved.
The VERDICT:
The Woman King had a lot of potential to be another political movie, but what I got was a great balance of many things that just needed more time to be perfected. While female led, there are plenty of other characters with side stories that work together quite well. It's a movie that pulls culture, visuals, costumes, and acting together to really create the tribe you expect to see. And the pacing of the tale, especially the utilization of action, might be some of the best I've seen in a very, very, very, long time. Sure, handling so much resulted in some stories not having the same kick I wanted to see, and there are shortcuts taken to compact it to 120 minutes like it wanted to do. However, the movie really did make a great theater experience for me and is worth the trip if you've got the time. My favorite movie of the three I watched, this reviewer gives The Woman King:
Action/Drama/History: 9.0
Movie Overall: 8.0-8.5.
261 out of 1,041 found this helpful