---
title: "The Woman King: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-woman-king/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-woman-king"
critics_score: 75
critics_reviews: 27
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# The Woman King (2022): what the critics said

Critics' score 75 from 27 reviews: 23 positive, 3 mixed, 1 negative.

Most critics come away pleased. The reviews describe a rousing, old-fashioned action epic and largely mean that as a compliment. The praise lands first on Viola Davis, whose lead is called commanding and quietly melancholy in roughly equal measure, and then on the ensemble around her: Thuso Mbedu’s rookie warrior, Lashana Lynch and Sheila Atim are singled out repeatedly. The battle sequences draw consistent approval for their physical force and clear staging, and several critics admire the production design and costumes.

The reservations are about the script rather than the screen. Several reviews find the plot familiar, the romance tacked on and the middle stretch slow. The sharper dispute is over history: The AV Club says the film’s handling of slavery produces jarring shifts in tone, Vulture finds it conflicted by the tensions it raises, and The New Yorker judges its portrayal of Dahomey’s role in the slave trade seriously distorted. Slant calls it stale. The spread is narrow at the top and wide at the bottom.

## Evening Standard — Charlotte O'Sullivan

Rating 5/5. 7 October 2022. 

The review finds the film a groundbreaking, rousing action epic, while acknowledging its wish-fulfilment ending. It especially praises Viola Davis’s subtle performance and the depth added by the outstanding ensemble cast.

[Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/the-woman-king-movie-review-viola-davis-lashana-lynch-b1030386.html)

## Little White Lies — Rógan Graham

Rating 4/5/5. 7 October 2022. 

The review calls the film a quietly radical, crowd-pleasing action epic and a rare cinematic event. It especially praises Viola Davis’s raw lead performance and the relationship between her character and Thuso Mbedu’s rookie warrior.

[Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/the-woman-king)

## The i Paper — Christina Newland

Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 7 October 2022. 

Newland finds the film a vivid, unusually affecting historical action drama. She praises its forceful portrayal of Black womanhood and its breathtaking combat sequences.

[Read the review](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/the-woman-king-review-viola-davis-john-boyega-1899111?ico=related_stories)

## Radio Times — James Mottram

Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 29 September 2022. 

The review presents the film as an entertaining historical epic that deserves a lively audience response. It singles out the performances as terrific.

[Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movies/the-woman-king-review/)

## Time Out — Anna Smith

Rating 4/5. 15 September 2022. 

The critic calls the film epic entertainment. She singles out Viola Davis as a mighty warrior woman.

[Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-woman-king-2022)

## Empire — Kambole Campbell

Fi1m's normalised score 78/100 (inferred from the text). 7 October 2022. 

The review finds the film an entertaining, sumptuous throwback to classic Hollywood epics, despite some script and pacing stumbles. It particularly praises the cast’s performances and the thrilling, physically forceful action choreography.

[Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/the-woman-king/)

## Screen Daily — Tim Grierson

Fi1m's normalised score 78/100 (inferred from the text). 10 September 2022. Festival review. 

The review presents the film as an impressive, action-driven warrior epic. It singles out Viola Davis as stunning in the lead role.

[Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-woman-king-toronto-review/5174330.article)

## IndieWire — Kate Erbland

Rating B. 9 September 2022. Festival review. 

Erbland finds the film an entertaining, worthwhile Hollywood action epic, while arguing that stories like it should not be so rare. She praises its vivid setting, exciting battle sequences, and strong ensemble performances, though she criticizes some contrived plot and romance elements.

[Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/the-woman-king-review-viola-davis-1234759337/)

## The AV Club — Jordan Hoffman

Rating B. 14 September 2022. 

Hoffman finds the film entertaining and nearly great, but says its treatment of slavery creates jarring tonal shifts and a hollow ending. He praises the cast, especially Thuso Mbedu, and the richly designed production and striking cinematography.

[Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/woman-king-movie-review-viola-davis-john-boyega-1849532158)

## Los Angeles Times — Justin Chang

Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 15 September 2022. 

Chang finds the film a forceful, exhilarating action-drama, though its history and characters could use more depth. He especially praises the performances of Viola Davis, Thuso Mbedu, Sheila Atim and Lashana Lynch, and the vivid production design and costumes.

[Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2022-09-15/woman-king-review-viola-davis-gina-prince-bythewood)

## The Guardian — Benjamin Lee

Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 10 September 2022. Festival review. 

The critic calls it a sturdy, rousing piece of studio entertainment, though the action could use more fight scenes. They praise the ensemble’s performances, especially Thuso Mbedu’s bold, emotionally wide-ranging turn.

[Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/sep/10/the-woman-king-review-viola-davis-rules-over-rousing-action-epic)

## Sight and Sound

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 3 October 2022. 

The review sees the film as idealised historical mythmaking that turns Dahomey’s past into an allegory for liberation, equality and progress. It praises the adventure epic’s feminist call to arms and its portrayal of women warriors, while noting its liberties with history.

[Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/woman-king-must-history-intrude-such-heady-mythmaking)

## The Hollywood Reporter — Lovia Gyarkye

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 10 September 2022. Festival review. 

The critic finds the film narratively muddled but entertaining and technically brilliant. She particularly praises Viola Davis’s nuanced performance and the film’s energetic action and production design.

[Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/the-woman-king-viola-davis-gina-prince-bythewood-thuso-mbedu-1235215820/)

## Variety — Peter Debruge

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 10 September 2022. Festival review. 

Debruge finds the film stirring and compelling, though somewhat stodgy and less effective than its historical ambitions suggest. He especially praises Viola Davis’s commanding performance and the Agojie ensemble’s training and battle sequences.

[Read the review](https://variety.com/2022/film/reviews/the-woman-king-review-viola-davis-1235367711/)

## The New York Times — Manohla Dargis

Fi1m's normalised score 66/100 (inferred from the text). 15 September 2022. 

The URL identifies this as a review of The Woman King. The page text is inaccessible, so the critic’s verdict and specific praise or complaint cannot be verified.

[Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/15/movies/the-woman-king-review-viola-davis.html)

## Slant Magazine — Kenji Fujishima

Rating 2.5/4. 16 September 2022. 

The review sees the film as crowd-pleasing but stale, relying on familiar plot beats and regressive ideas about warfare and revenge. It praises the battle sequences’ visual staging and the performers’ commitment, especially alongside the lush costumes.

[Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-woman-king-review-viola-davis/)

## Vulture — Alison Willmore

Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 16 September 2022. 

Willmore finds the film rousing but conflicted, with its historical and political tensions limiting its broader ambitions. She praises the Agojie’s dynamics and the cast, especially Lashana Lynch’s performance and Viola Davis’s melancholy portrayal of Nanisca.

[Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/the-conflicted-thrills-of-the-woman-king.html)

## The New Yorker — Julian Lucas

Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 16 September 2022. 

Lucas finds the film exhilarating and praises its performances and tender sisterhood, but judges its historical distortions deeply damaging. He especially objects to its portrayal of Dahomey as resisting the slave trade while condemning Oyo for participating in it.

[Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/sisterhood-and-slavery-in-the-woman-king)

## Collider — Chase Hutchinson

Rating A-. 10 September 2022. 

The critic finds the film a joyous, emotionally grounded historical epic, with only a rushed romance holding it back. They especially praise Prince-Bythewood’s precise, exhilarating battle sequences and Viola Davis’s commanding performance.

[Read the review](https://collider.com/the-woman-king-review-viola-davis/)

## Consequence — Carys Anderson

Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 16 September 2022. 

Anderson finds the film a genuine epic rather than a shallow empowerment project. She praises its magnetic cast and especially its brutal, compellingly staged battle scenes.

[Read the review](https://consequence.net/2022/09/the-woman-king-review-viola-davis/)

## Eye for Film — Amber Wilkinson

Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 7 October 2022. 

Wilkinson finds the film an emotionally compelling action epic, despite some sprawl and a romance that feels tacked on. She particularly praises the fierce emotional sparring between the women, which she says holds the attention.

[Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/the-woman-king-2022-film-review-by-amber-wilkinson)

## /Film — Chris Evangelista

Rating 8/10. 10 September 2022. Festival review. 

The critic calls the film a powerful, emotionally exhilarating crowd-pleaser. They single out Lashana Lynch’s warm, funny, deadly performance and the energetic action for particular praise.

[Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/1001904/the-woman-king-review-a-rousing-historical-epic-with-great-action-and-even-better-characters-tiff/)

## Polygon — Katie Rife

Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 13 September 2022. Festival review. 

The critic finds the film a warm, rousing blockbuster that complicates its historical story while celebrating Black women and culture. She especially praises the warmth and depth of the Agojie’s bonds, which she finds more inspiring than the battle scenes.

[Read the review](https://www.polygon.com/reviews/23349229/the-woman-king-review/)

## Paste — Kevin Fox Jr.

Rating 7.8/10. 16 September 2022. 

The review finds the film valuable, exciting, and successful despite occasional tonal and narrative excesses. It especially praises the immersive, well-choreographed action and the performers’ commitment.

[Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/viola-davis/the-woman-king-review)

## NME

Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 

The review finds the film a crowd-pleasing, rousing adventure despite conventional storytelling and blurred historical accuracy. It singles out the performances, especially Viola Davis, and the forceful action direction for praise.

[Read the review](https://www.nme.com/reviews/film-reviews/the-woman-king-review-viola-davis-3324075)

## Deadline — Valerie Complex

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 10 September 2022. Festival review. 

The critic finds the film engaging overall, despite awkward editing and a slow middle. They praise the ensemble performances and the vivid production design and costumes.

[Read the review](https://deadline.com/2022/09/toronto-review-gina-prince-bythewood-the-woman-king-1235113891/)

## The Wrap — Carlos Aguilar

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 15 September 2022. Festival review. 

The critic finds the film a crowd-pleasing, meaningful action story, despite its reliance on familiar tropes. They particularly praise Viola Davis’s nuanced performance and the film’s thoughtful portrayal of strength and vulnerability.

[Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/the-woman-king-review-viola-davis/)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/the-woman-king.md