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The Woman King

The 100 Most Anticipated Movies of 2022

The Woman King

2022

Gina Prince-Bythewood

Viola Davis, John Boyega, Lashana Lynch, Hero Fiennes-Tiffin ...

6.0

2,662

Action. Drama A historical epic inspired by the true events that happened in The Kingdom of Dahomey, one of the most powerful states of Africa in the 18th and 19th centuries.

	Author	Review
United States	Lovia Gyarkye The Hollywood Reporter	"Energetic performances and technical precision come together to glorious effect in Prince-Bythewood’s rousing action film. It’s a lush, prime piece of entertainment in many respects"	POS
United States	Kate Erbland IndieWire	"The film is bursting with remarkable elements: a vivid and fully realized setting, eye-popping battle sequences, richly drawn characters, and wonderful performances from everyone"	POS
United Kingdom	Caryn James BBC	"The Woman King leans toward fantasy in its heroic moments, but is rooted in truth about war, brutality and freedom. It is a splashy popcorn movie with a social conscience. (...) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)"	POS
United States	Kristy Puchko Mashable	"Gina Prince-Bythewood has once more created an astonishing action movie, which dazzles with ferocious fight sequences but hits hardest because of its heartfelt storytelling"	POS
United States	Kenji Fujishima Slant	"[It] may be 'inspired by true events', but the film plays like pure old-school Hollywood (...) Rating: ★★½ (out of 4)"	NEU
United States	Chase Hutchinson Collider	"It is a film that ensures there is no denying Prince-Bythewood's dedication as a director and visual artist who can take on any cinematic challenge with ease"	POS
United States	Valerie Complex Deadline	"This is rarely said, but every single actor and performance, from the central stars to the extras, is in top form. Being around Viola Davis must bring out the best in people"	POS
United States	Chris Evangelista SlashFilm	"A rousing historical epic with great action and even better characters"	POS
Canada	Chris Bumbray JoBlo	"A thoughtful and beautifully directed epic, The Woman King is terrifically entertaining, even if it gets bogged down by an extraneous romantic subplot and the PG-13 rating"	POS
United States	Jordan Hoffman AV Club	"An incredible cast holds court in the film, but Gina Prince-Bythewood struggles to balance the action-packed empowerment story with its real-life atrocities"	NEU
United States	Martin Tsai The Wrap	"'The Woman King' possesses broad appeal. It's an oft-told tale, yes, but here imparted with a fresh angle and a meaningful moral. And it has something in store for those who prefer the action genre, too"	POS
United Kingdom	Benjamin Lee The Guardian	"The Oscar winner leads a strong ensemble of Black women in a robustly entertaining drama about 19th century female warriors (...) Rating: ★★★ (out of 5)"	POS
United Kingdom	Tim Grierson Screendaily	"'The Woman King' doesn’t always successfully juggle its myriad narrative ambitions, but director Gina Prince-Bythewood has crafted battle sequences that are exciting and moving at the same time."	POS
United States	Robert Daniels rogerebert.com	"The sheer pleasure of 'The Woman King' resides in the bond shared by these Black women. (...) It’s the movie Gina Prince-Bythewood has been building toward throughout her entire career (...) Rating: ★★★½ (out of 4)"	POS
United States	Peter Debruge Variety	"It's stirring but slightly stodgy, designed to stand the test of time"	NEU
Canada	Shelagh Rowan-Legg Screen Anarchy	"[It] might on occasion follow something of a formula, but it's used to great effect, with terrific action, great performances, and a hefty story told with a deft hand"	POS
United States	Anna Smith Deadline	"'The Woman King' is a story of sisterhood and racial identity that deserves to pack in the crowds. About time, indeed (...) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)"	POS
United States	Peter Travers ABC News	"A fierce Viola Davis headlines this historical epic about women warriors and reminds us how truly inspiring it is to see these brave sisters doing it for themselves"	POS
United States	Brian Lowry CNN	"Somehow, the film manages to feel like a throwback to the action movies of old while featuring people who were seldom allowed to occupy prominent roles back then"	POS
United States	John Serba Decider	"For all its formulaic plotting and pedestrian dialogue, [it] is fresh in every other way: Its visual palette, its setting and art direction, its voice and perspective. It’s as beautiful to look at as it is tonally fierce"	POS
United States	Sarah Jane Austin Chronicle	"There's not a lot wrong with it. It looks beautiful, the costumes are gorgeous, the fight scenes are terrific, and there is a nice bit of gore (...) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)"	POS
Australia	Nadine Whitney The Curb	"It is exciting and cheer-worthy. It’s a beautiful production that garners admiration especially for the woman protagonists and the astounding attention to detail in recreating a period of African history"	POS

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