Metascore 75-78

Toronto Review: Viola Davis In Gina Prince-Bythewood’s ‘The Woman King’
https://deadline.com/2022/09/toronto-review-gina-prince-bythewood-the-woman-king-1235113891/

Gina Prince Bythewood’s period film The Woman King opens with an incredible action sequence with General Nanisca (Viola Davis) of The Agojie army approaching a village of men holding their women hostage. Men are getting sliced, diced and tossed across the screen by these mighty warrior women. After they arrive back in the Dahomey kingdom victorious, the story introduces Nawi (Thuso Mbedu), an unmarried young woman deemed worthless because she has no husband. She’s taken to the palace and introduced to Izogie (Lashana Lynch) and Amenza (Shiela Atim), Dahomey’s top soldiers in the King Ghezo Royal guard. Women in the army are respected, and when they pledge to service, they take an oath of celibacy and childlessness to be accepted and train.

The Woman King (TIFF) Review https://www.joblo.com/the-woman-king-tiff-review/

PLOT: In 1823, Nanisca (Viola Davis) is the bold leader of the Agojie, an all-female regiment tasked with protecting the kingdom of Dahomey. Reeling from a traumatic experience where she was taken as a slave, Nanisca is at odds with the slave trade her kingdom participates in but is forced to follow orders. As the nightmares become harder to stave off, she’s tasked with training a new generation of warriors, including the headstrong Nawi (Thuso Mbedu), with whom she shares a surprising connection.

One thing worth noting is the controversy that’s already come up regarding the film’s depiction of the Kingdom of Dahomey. Many expected that the kingdom participating in the slave trade would be left out of the movie, but the opposite is true. One of the movie’s central conflicts is that Davis’s Nanisca is boldly against the practice, while her king (John Boyega’s King Ghezo) participates somewhat reluctantly. I’ll leave it to the historians to say whether or not this is accurate, but they at least tackle the subject head-on and make The Woman King a much more well-rounded historical epic in that regard than some gave it credit for based on the trailer alone.

Director Gina Prince-Bythewood’s movie is a solid historical epic benefitting from a tremendous cast, led by Davis at her most badass. If people like Bob Odenkirk and Liam Neeson can become action heroes in their fifties, Davis seems bound to show people she can too. Her raw intensity is backed up by a newly jacked physique that makes her an imposing action heroine, and she performs exceptionally well in the numerous action scenes. However, her pathos and empathy for not only her people but also those she helps conquer are what really makes Nanisca an absorbing lead. Lashana Lynch backs her up as Izogie, the band’s most formidable warrior, and it’s another badass role for the actress, who seems a natural fit for the action genre.

Replaced OP with Fri night metascore.

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Metascore 78. 24 reviews, new ones from critic screenings.
Anyone know when early Thur screening start?