'The Woman King' review roundup: Viola Davis-led historical epic pleases critics

The first reviews of Viola Davis-led historical epic film 'The Woman King' are here after the movie premiered at the ongoing 2022 Toronto International Film Festival. Thus far, most of the reviews are positive. Critics are praising the movie for performances, action scenes, and the scale. The film, directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood and written by Dana Stevens, is about the Agojie or Dahomey Amazons, which was an all-female warrior team that in the 19th century protected Dahomey, a West African kingdom. Davis essays the role of General Nanisca who is in charge of training the next generation of warriors to repel the kingdom's enemies.

The Dora Milaje in 'Black Panther' comics and movies were inspired by the Agojie. Maria Bello wrote the story with Stevens.

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Here are some of the reviews of the movie.

But Why Tho? film critic Kate Sánchez wrote, "The Woman King is a fantastic film that not only shows exactly why Gina Prince-Blythewood should helm action and drama alike, but also that Viola can easily best any action star on the screen."

The Hollywood Reporter's Lovia Gyarke wrote, "As a product of Hollywood, working in the American cinematic lexicon, The Woman King, with all its good intentions, nonetheless falls into the expected traps of melodrama and obfuscated history. Perhaps those flaws will be the subject of later conversations, when The Woman King stimulates impassioned critical discourse — the type that leads to an enthusiastic push to explore the African continent’s rich precolonial history or copious present-day narratives."

BBC's Caryn James wrote, "The Woman King is about strength and will, about independence and abolishing slavery, themes that Dana Stevens' screenplay announces too bluntly at times. "We are the blade of freedom," Nanisca yells, inspiring her troops into one more battle. But Prince-Bythewood never lets social themes get in the way of crowd-pleasing action. Especially in the film's last section, the battles are relentless and kinetic, as the camera takes us inside the hand-to-hand combat, with warriors plunging spears into bodies and slicing throats. This is not benign, cartoonish action. There are Agojie deaths, the price of being a soldier."

Slash Film's Chris Evangelista wrote, "There's something very old school about "The WomanKing." It's a sweeping, rousing, crowd-pleasing historical action-adventure epic the likes of which Hollywood doesn't make that much anymore, at least not well. It's familiar in a welcoming way. And yet, at the same time, this is also something groundbreaking.Because unlike the Hollywood epics of old, "The WomanKing" features a cast made up almost entirely of Black women, and there's a Black woman,Gina Prince-Bythewood, behind the camera, too. Maybe one day we'll get to a point where such a moviedoesn't feel groundbreaking, but here we are."

JoBlo's Chris Bumbray wrote, "Extremely entertaining - Viola Davis totally reinvents herself in this one. A fascinating story beautifully brought to the screen."

'The Woman King' certainly looks worth waiting for and critics agree. The movie releases on September 16, 2022 in North America.