Spearheaded by Viola Davis, The Woman King is being praised by critics as being ‘magnificent’, ’thunderous’ and ‘bold’.
What Is The Woman King About?
Based loosely on a true story and set in the 1820’s, The Woman King follows the all-female warrior team that protected Dahomey, the West African kingdom.
Nanisca, the general, trains up the next generation of warriors to fight against a growing enemy, Gen, that wishes to destroy Dahomey.
Who Stars In The Woman King?
Academy Award and Emmy winning legend Viola Davis portrays the strong and fearless leader General Nanisca. Davis told Sky News that she had to fight for this role.
‘If I waited for the sort of roles that come to me, then I would be coasting on two days here, one day here, pushing a paper, playing an obligatory lawyer that has a name that nobody ever uses,’ she said.
The Multiverse Of Madness’s Sheila Atim plays Nanisca’s right-hand woman, Amenza.
The narrative follows a young girl, Nawi, who is given away to the warriors by her father for being combative. Nawi is played by the amazing South African actress Thuso Mbedu, who appeared on the Forbes Africa 30 under 30 list in 2018.
Other cast members include John Boyega (Attack The Block), Lashana Lynch (Captain Marvel), Hero Fiennes Tiffin (After), Adrienne Warren (Bring It On), Jayme Lawson (The Batman) and Masali Baduza (Noughts + Crosses).
Reviews of The Woman King
Wendy Ide for The Guardian awards The Woman King four stars, labelling it a ’thunderously cinematic good time’.
Ide writes, ‘What elevates the picture is that it’s not just about the ass-kicking (although the fight choreography is exemplary and the action is a technical triumph). The Woman King gives its cast the opportunity to properly flesh out their characters.’
Writing for The Telegraph, Tim Robey also gives the movie four stars, saying ‘The film has a sure storytelling hand with subplots, and an actress of proven excellence in Mbedu, whose scenes with both Davis and Lynch are dramatically riveting.’
The Woman King has recieved an outstanding 99% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes. One viewer labelled it as the ‘best action move of this year’, with another adding that there was ’superb acting across the board.’