The Woman King 4K 2022 Ultra HD 2160p

Story Movie

Kingdom of Dahomey, 1823. An elite squad of women from the royal agogji guards, led by General Naniska, returns women kidnapped by slaveholders from the Oyo Empire, which threatens to provoke war. Meanwhile, Navi, a 19-year-old girl who does not want to put up with a cruel potential husband, is given to the palace by her father as a gift to the king. So Navi finds herself among the newcomers being trained to join the ranks of the Agogozhi.

Review 4K Movie

I don't think anyone would argue that the approach to filmmaking has changed dramatically. Whereas previously, in addition to making money, filmmakers aimed to create pictures of decent quality, now the main goal has become "working off an agenda. That is why a huge number of pictures and series with representatives of non-traditional sexual orientation and gender types, as well as with a strictly African-American cast, are in production. This film directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood was no exception.

The events of this film take place back in 1823 in the Kingdom of Dahomey. An elite force of women from the royal guard, led by General Nanishka, returns the women kidnapped by slave owners from the Oyo empire, which threatens to provoke a war. Meanwhile, Navi, a 19-year-old girl who does not want to put up with a cruel potential husband, is given to the palace by her father as a gift to the king. Thus Navi finds herself among the newcomers being trained to join the ranks of the agogji.

The most important thing when watching this film is the realization that the screen is entirely entertaining and fictional, rather than based on real events and historically accurate (as the authors of this film claimed during the promotion of the film). This is only confirmed by deliberately ignoring the practice of human sacrifice and the slave trade by the Agogeans and by idealizing them on the screen. Certainly doing so to please modern trends about strong women who are ready to fight back with ease against men and men who are capable of nothing but violence and cruelty against women. Which, with a strictly African-American cast and a predominantly female cast, made this film the subject of rave reviews from audiences.

In fact, it is the story of a mother and daughter against the backdrop of two tribal conflicts and an escalating war, who come to terms with the demons of their past and find their places in this life. Which is served up on the screen is not a bad thing. But the above-mentioned "screaming feminism" pulls the attention to its side a lot now and then. In this regard, the story seems very drawn out and partly superficial.

It is safe to say that the film is saved by Gina Prince-Bythewood's rather good direction which smoothes out the script's flaws. Firstly, we want to note the wonderfully conveyed spirit and culture of the African continent tribes. Secondly, the action scenes are quite brutal and effective. The only bad thing is that there are not too many action scenes in this movie, and the film sags a lot in the middle due to some dragging of the narration.

Of course, the main merit of this film is Viola Davis. Davis can definitely be called one of the most talented African-American actresses of modern cinema and she proves it on the screen again. Not only looking extremely natural and brutal in the image of a woman warrior. But also making her character much deeper and more complex than it seems at first glance. Tuso Mbedu played her role well and more than naturally demonstrated the personal transformation of her character from an innocent and charming girl to a real warrior. It is impossible not to mention Lashana Lynch and Sheela Atim, who looked very confident in their images on the screen and you can see with the naked eye how they enjoy every moment of this film and their deliberately cool heroines. Among all this cast of women, John Boyega was very lost, who on top of that did not show any memorable acting.