Man I love every time an action movie comes out that reminds us the genre can have depth and themes and true character work. That there can be style and practical effects and grounded action. In the wave of the MCU this is such a breath of fresh air. The action is slick but the drama and characterization work in tandem with it to create something truly special. It's a film that is inspirational not in spite of the history but because it acknowledges the history and transforms it and finds a way to make it resonate today. It shows the strength of these women and the culture while not shying away from its flaws. These black women are put up on a pedestal and asked- if not demanded- to stop feeling, that it is weak, a dereliction of duty, and the film gradually repudiates that while never denying their strength or more importantly their humanity. And the cast gamely rises up to what they're given. Davis obviously shines as the centerpiece, putting decades of experience into a performance that is stoic, aching, charismatic, and raw in equal measures. Some of her delivery and expressions, from a wry smirk to a fond and exasperated roll of the eyes, are so good at grounding Nanisca and making her really feel like a person, just one from a different time. And while I had mixed feelings about Underground Railroad, Mbedu was never one of them, and she shines here as well. The things she can do with her eyes alone are captivating. And Boyega is charming while being hard and pragmatic enough to still keep you guessing where he'll fall. But in a cast of greats, Lasana Lynch still stands out. The charisma she has on display here makes me baffled she hasn't led a franchise yet, put her in everything. This film is a celebration of black women while never dehumanizing them. It lets us be strong and vulnerable, stalwart and hurting, devoted and loving, in equal measure. And it's a tight, fun time to boot.

This is what happens when the Americans attempt to make a film based on an Indian movie script. Film a bit fake in its setting, not historical accurate, and with a representation of the people represented (African, European and South American) a bit too modern and clean (likely to satisfy American tastes and not reality). This is even fine, but while the Indians often add complexity to the plot with a lot of twists to keep the attention and enhance the surprise, here instead the first half is plain, with some recover in the second half, but without many emotions triggered.

As disingenuous in its historical revisionism as the actors' African accents, it's a commercial movie that sells empowerment when it's actually offering submission, with unnecessary subplots and a sweeten portrayal of the ferocity of the Dahomey Amazons. It gives the impression that it hides the lack of a clear position on slavery with superficial samples of African folklore.

Cast not diverse at all. we need a more inclusive cast. its 2022 for god’s sake.

I’ve seen comparisons to _Braveheart_, I think those are pretty on point. It does some things exceptionally well (acting, action, visuals, costume design, the music bangs), but it’s also too commercial for its own good. Some of the key elements of this film are schmaltzy, melodramatic and predictable, and it brings a lot of the film down. There are also some minor exposition dumps that aren’t very elegantly handled, and it’s a bit too long. Still, let there be no mistake about it: this is one of the better mainstream films to come out this year, if only by the virtue of not messing up at any major point (it’s never goes fully dumb or stupid, nor does it ever turn into CGI schlock). So it’s unfortunate to see this film being another victim of an engineered hate campaign, here’s hoping most of its potential audience are smart enough to see through that. 6/10