Honest opinion on ‘The Woman King’

It kinda does! The Woman King already appeared in the cinema last year and a release on Netflix was added last month. The critics were ecstatic. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a score of 94% on the Tomatometer. There was no trace of a perceived divide between critics and audiences in The Woman King: 99% of viewer respondents thought it was worth watching. I’ve already given my opinion a bit, but a yes is never just a yes, just like a no is never just a no. In this article I provide my take on The Woman King.

All about the setting and production

The year is 1823, the place is West Africa. To be specific, the Kingdom of Dahomey, situated in what is now the Republic of Benin. Unfortunately, I cannot say whether the setting is authentically interpreted. The filming took place in South Africa, the same continent, only a mere 7000 km south by car. In any case, the whole looks fresh and believable.

We follow the Agojie, female warriors of the king of Dahomey. They are led by General Nanisca and her lieutenants Izogie and Amenza. We also follow a number of new recruits who are being prepared for battle.

Better expiration date

And of course there is plenty of fighting. The choreography is very showy. Realistic braiding is a rarity in movies. Quite logical too, because it is for entertainment, and realistic wickerwork is terrifying to behold. But this time it looks very much like dance. A feast for the eyes for the less narrow-minded viewer! But I’m still waiting for the day when I see a brawl on the big screen where everyone isn’t just walking around and fighting two-man battles.

The usual blend of CGI and real sets and effects is used effectively. I suspect that the current generation of films will have a better expiration date than, for example, nineties films that were shot completely before a bluescreen. Nothing beats a well-lit physical set. After seeing knights plow a field for the umpteenth time, The Woman King certainly offers an interesting new setting.

The plot

Another historical epic with a sparse plot. The bad guys don’t seem to have much of a motivation outside of getting rich or just being bad. The Oyo and the Mahi are slave drivers and therefore evil. The Dahomey occasionally trade people, but they certainly have a bad feeling about it!

It should be clear that in The Woman King a historical setting is used to denounce a contemporary issue. And that’s not a bad thing at all! After all, selling alleged lessons from history is the cradle of historiography. Actually, the film doesn’t go far enough in making a statement. Slavery (and, by extension, its modern-day consequences) is bad, and black people shouldn’t screw each other’s ears in order to share the profits with whites. But unfortunately you don’t rectify such a problem by winning the final battle in a grand climax, so does the story of this movie really say?

Much of the trouble begins with the lack of convincing motivation for General Oba. Because a bad antagonist almost without exception makes a mediocre or bad protagonist. Fortunately, the actor who plays General Oba manages to put more than enough venom in the role. In a way, that goes for the whole film: the mediocre plot is made up for by the impassioned acting. That brings us to the next heading:

The acting and the characters

In my review of The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die I indicated that I was not a fan of the flat acting that seems to be becoming more and more fashionable in recent years. It can be categorized as “Too cool for school”. To my delight, there is no trace of that approach in The Woman King. Almost without exception, the acting is passionate.

Oba, who, as said before, definitely lacks characterization, gives me the creeps. Truly an acting performance that manages to convey that this is not a character you want to get close to. Nanisca is a rugged and emotionally withdrawn warrior. But she is not invulnerable. Her traumas haunt her, she is involved in the fate of her fellow warriors, and she cries when it becomes a human being to weep.

No less praise for Lashana Lynch (Izogie) and Sheila Atim (Amenza). The lesser performances of John Boyega (King Ghezo) and Thuso Mbedu (Nawi) are more the result of a sometimes one-dimensional characterization. Nothing but praise for the acting performances.

To watch or not?

The captivating acting of the entire cast sweeps aside all criticisms I can think of. For those who keep track: meager plot, lack of motivation for some characters and a central statement that is not very special. But I didn’t take it seriously. When I think back to The Woman King, one thing comes to mind first; the vulnerability that Viola Davis (Nanisca) manages to show on the weathered face of an ancient warrior.

The Woman King is now streaming on Netflix.