The Woman King Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

The Woman King Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman December 12, 2022

The Woman King tells a compelling story of African female warriors defending their homeland and their people from dual encroachments: neighboring powers and the European slave trade. The film, from director Gina Prince-Bythewood (Love & Basketball, The Secret Life of Bees) and based on a true story, tells a tale of empowerment with both brutality and grace. The film's physicality is matched by its heart, a heart which beats strongly in its desire to well represent history and the people on the screen in a big-budget, major studio passion project that is also a highlight reel for cinematic and storytelling excellence.

In the African kingdom of Dahomey, Ghezo (John Boyega) has taken power. His kingdom is in danger on two fronts: the nearby Oyo Empire has recently allied with the Mahi people to seize and sell Dahomey's people to European slavers who have equipped the Oyo and Mahi with modern weaponry. However, Dahomey is well defended by a band of powerful female warriors known as the Agojie, led by the brave General Nanisca (Viola Davis). These warriors are all that stand in the way of life and death for the Dahomey people.

The Woman King might be thought of as part action and part activism, or perhaps as equal parts energy and empowerment, but beyond any draw to its superficial components lies a picture that is really equal parts intensity and investment: intensity of that action and energy, yes, but also investment in people and characters and history, all of which transcend any superficialities and tell a very human story of place, purpose, friends, and freedom. While the film's well-choregraphed and expertly executed action and well-balanced character building might take center stage, at the heart of this film is a humanity that draws in the audience more than any other aspect of its construction. It's an exciting venture, yes, but the film thrives on characterization and depth of story that surpasses any draw to the externals and does so rather quickly; cast and crew investment into the project is real, and whether on camera or off there is a tangible sense of, and desire for, accuracy, relatability, and draw into this world and these characters.

The cast thrives throughout the film and devours every morsel of dialogue, every movement of action, and every opportunity to speak within the film's confines and beyond its natural ends. Davis is a revelation as the leader of the Agojie. She brings not simply a dominating presence and intimidating stature, but a keen sense of character that extends well beyond the superficial level. Davis certainly understands the part's greater reach and impact, yes, but she intimately develops the character's internals as well, refusing to allow physicality alone to build the character. Davis is fully invested here, and it shows with great impact on the character and the larger story and film experience. Thuso Mbedu delights as a young warrior while the venerable Lashana Lynch falls into role with a seamless sense of place and purpose alike.

The Woman King Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Sony brings The Woman King to Blu-ray with a high yield 1080p transfer. While not so dynamic as the companion UHD disc, there is no denying that this 1080p presentation shows the movie without serious fault, flub, or reservation. While light noise is present throughout, the picture shows no degrading source maladies or any encode artifacts. The clarity allows for every detail of the costume design and location production elements to shine, offering naturally occurring complexity at every turn. Faces are a highlight for depth and tactile definition, right down to pores and scars. Color output is gorgeous. While much of the film favors earthy tones, there are plenty of color splashes on clothing and natural greens to be enjoyed. They are not vibrant, but they are rather grounded in color excellence that blends well with the world around them. Black level depth is superb, especially at night, white balance is fine, and skin tones are healthy and natural. No complaints here; this is a first-class 1080p presentation from Sony.

The Woman King Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

While Sony continues to treat Blu-ray as a second-class citizen, providing the UHD exclusively with the Dolby Atmos soundtrack alone, the included DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack is itself no slouch, at least. The track is quite engaging, actually, and while it lacks the UHD's total immersion and absolute seamlessness, this track strives towards the high point yield limit for 5.1, offering from the outset and incredible sense of placement and immersion in the opening battle. Action scenes continue with this standard, and fans will be pleased every time chaos erupts on the screen. Atmospheric effects are equally impressive for fluid stage engagement and satisfying immersion, whether background din in villages or crashing waves along a shoreline at the 44-minute mark. Music is smooth and clear with fine front end width, solid surround content, and impressive low end response. Dialogue is always clear and robust with seamless prioritization and excellent lifelike clarity.

The Woman King Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray release of The Woman King includes a healthy assortment of extras, including several featurettes and an audio commentary track. A Movies Anywhere digital copy code is included with purchase. This product ships with a non-embossed slipcover.

• A Caterpillar's Destruction: Viola Davis On Set (1080p, 9:48): Exploring Davis' draw to the film and material, how it spoke to her at her very depth, the character she plays, her physical training and stunt work, female empowerment, plot threads, and more. Meanwhile, cast and crew talk up the joy of working with Viola Davis.
• Woman/Warrior (1080p, 11:40): This supplement explores casting, characters, story details, character builds, cast physical training, an more.
• Storytellers (1080p, 10:19): In praise of Director Gina Prince-Bythewood's work on the film, relationship with her cast, connection to the material, and passion for the project.
• Audio Commentary: Director Gina Prince-Bythewood and Editor Terilyn A. Shropshire discuss the film.
• Representation Matters (1080p, 9:59): The opportunity to explore African history through the film, the connection to the modern day, connecting with the characters, the real history behind the Agojie warriors, the warriors' training regimen and combat tactics, the film's historical accuracy, casting darker-skinned actors, and more.
• Thuso Mbedu - Auditions (1080p, 6:34): The young actress auditions for the role she would ultimately earn.
• Previews: Additional Sony titles.

The Woman King Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Woman King doesn't reach the level of cinema royalty, but it's certainly a very capable, well crafted, and purposeful picture that builds a story of empowerment, yes, but also one of essential humanity as well. It's very well crafted from the top down, with Davis the standout in the lead role. Sony's Blu-ray delivers impressive video and audio presentations and includes a satisfying allotment of bonus content. Highly recommended.