The Woman King π₯ Female Hero Stories & Perspectives Done Right
The last few weeks I've been to the movies more often than I usually go and especially during the Holidays we managed to schedule some in and on New Year's it was a movie and a dinner again. This time we watched The Woman King with Viola Davis.
To be honest, after seeing the trailer I wasn't planning on watching this movie, because I was under the impression of it being another politically correct type of movie to "push" female oriented stories just for the numbers, instead of focusing on quality. I was so delighted when I realized that the movie had proven me wrong.
Firstly, I had enjoyed the amount and quality of the fighting scenes, reminiscent of The Lord of The Rings franchise and many Asian (Chinese) kung fu movies. Though the fighting styles and scenes weren't accurate to the time and place in the film, the (fighting) choreographer, stunt people and even the actors have done a remarkable job in portraying a cohesive and beautiful visual performance.
Furthermore, it's appreciated that the storytellers didn't focus too much on a romantic love story between (main) characters and didn't push the narrative that all a woman wants and needs is the love of a man. It is briefly hinted at, but didn't encompass the whole story. There is another subplot though that had taken me by surprise, but won't spoil it for those who haven't seen the movie yet.
Lastly, the hints of sarcasm and seriousness enweaved in the dialogue helped in keeping the attention of the audience and the choice of sound and music helped cohesively in telling the story of the main characters. Also kudos to the writers and director in trying to portray multiple sides to a woman, without letting it infringe too much on the main storyline. Clear to know what it's about, but subtle enough to transition from one scene to another.