'The Woman King' review: This kind of epic, crowd-pleasing action shouldn't be so rare

When the concept of "The Woman King" was just a glint in Maria Bello's eye (yes, itMaria Bello, the film is the actress's first credits long-running), "Black Panther" had yet to become a global hit, Gina Prince-Bythewood had yet to show off her action movie skills with Netflix hit "The Old Guard," and Viola Davis had only been nominated for two Oscars. In short: it was a very different time. The journey from then (2015) to now only took (ha, only) seven years, but Hollywood has changed significantly in the meantime.

And while celebrating the creation of something like Prince-Bythewood's "The Woman King" - a crowd-pleasing action epic that happens to be at the center of a band of African female warriors - is needed, it can't help but come with a button: in 2022, it shouldn't be the exception. Hollywood should have made movies like "The Woman King" years ago. It shouldn't have been a hard sell in 2015. It shouldn't be a standout event in 2022. And yet it is.

“The Woman King”, although based on a lesser-known segment of West African history during a decidedly difficult time in history, makes for quite a moment in cinema, a subject apparently "niche" with big appeal, the kind of battle-heavy functionality that's likely to spawn a lot of hoots and howls. And if it feels a bit Hollywood, with brilliant twists and a touch of soap opera to boot, maybe that's part of what makes it so special. You've never seen a movie about this that looks so awfully familiar. If that's what it took to get done, so be it. In this climate, in this world, stories like this are too precious and special to remain hidden. Bring them to the light.

Kicking off in 1823 and with a "Star Wars" exploration to set the scene - see! Hollywood epic! for everyone! – Prince-Bythewood's "The Woman King" instantly takes us into the world of the vibrant and prosperous kingdom of Dahomey, the only place on the African continent that employs a full coterie of female warriors, the Agojie. But Dahomey is under constant threat, with enemies both domestic (including various other local tribes) and foreign (white men and their insidious slave trade). His young king Ghezo (John Boyega) still doesn't know how to rule - the wide assortment of lieutenants and capos and even wives he enjoys bringing together on a regular basis speaks not so much of a love of different opinions, but of a worry about training her own - but her most able general Nanisca (Davis) has a lot of ideas about what's good for her, for her troops, for Dahomey.

"The Woman King"

Sony

Nanisca is a fierce warrior and an impressive leader, but she's had enough of the violence, or at least the things that...