The Woman King (2022)
3.5/4
It’s my favourite time of year: the start of the awards season. The first contender up is the new historical epic The Woman King.
It comes as no surprise that Viola Davis is really good here. I mean, she’s such a good actor that she could make a movie that’s nothing but her reading a phone book interesting. Here she plays General Nanisca, the leader of the historical army of women warriors called the Agojie. By showing all of Nanisca’s strengths and vulnerabilities, Davis makes her character the most memorable part of the film.
Another standout is newcomer Thuso Mbedu. Mbedu plays Nawi, a young Agojie warrior who is a new recruit to Nanisca’s army. She spends the entire movie trying to prove she’s worthy of being an Agojie. Mubedu gives a layered performance as the audience watches Nawi grow from being a young adult to a great warrior who fiercely defends her nation with pride and freedom. Mbedu also does a fantastic job with balancing her action scenes with her dramatic scenes, which helped makes the character more entertaining. I can’t wait to see what Mubedo does next.
The direction by Gina Prince-Bythewood is outstanding. And Polly Morgan’s cinematography is gorgeous. Everything looks clear and real, which I really appreciated.
Another solid asset of the movie is its production and set design by Akin McKenzie and Renee Filipova, and the costumes by Gersha Phillips. In fact, these elements convey the film’s time period and story so well that they are a sure lock to be nominated at the Academy Awards, perhaps along with Davis’ lead performance.
On the negative side of things, I really thought this script needed a stronger villain. It’s not that Jimmy Odukoya didn’t do the best work he could to make General Oba Ade frighting and formidable. It’s just that we don’t really know what he wants. Yes, he represents the bad group that the Agojie is trying to defend their homeland from, but we don’t know why he wants their land in the first place.
Also, the film could have been shortened. I mean, it has three different endings, and each could have been cut out completely. So, length is a big issue here. Regardless, The Woman King is a great and highly entertaining film with fantastic production values and performances.