The Woman King

The dialogue is generic -- the formal kind constructed to suit all periods -- but the actors give it all the authenticity it needs, clearly delighted by the ebullience of their characters.

It is a film designed to inspire audiences and elicit cheers and, by and large, it succeeds.

Thankfully, all flimsiness in the screenplay is overcome by the director, Gina Prince-Bythewood, and her committed cast, who transform a familiar dramatic milieu (Mulan meets Gladiator meets Wonder Woman) into thrilling, amphetamine-rush cinema.

Yes, the Woman King could be filed under wish-fulfilment, but that’s true of so many action classics.

A great time at the movies. A rare cinematic event.

The end result is a novel, representation-stretching enterprise that, paradoxically, plays like the “sort of film they don’t make any more”.

Pacing issues and historical inaccuracies aside, The Woman King has great action and moving characters brought to life by a fantastic ensemble cast.

A giddy mix of history and fantasy.

...as a piece of entertainment, The Woman King works very well. The action is extremely well-staged and is visceral and brutal and endlessly fun.

A wildly watchable and compelling movie, one of 2022's best popcorn films.