The way this film rewrites history to make the Dahomey not cruel slave traders, who would behead the elders of innocent villages and torture the children they'd later sell as slaves, is deeply questionable. I generally ignore changes in historical films, but I can't help but be bothered by what is clearly a case of racism and the glorification of slave traders.

The Woman King ultimately feels like wasted potential. There's a lot of good acting and fight choreography here, but the plot is kind of mess. As I mentioned above, the movie sidesteps slave trading and has the protagonists decide to stop because it, suddenly, goes against their morals. Other aspects of the Dahomey are explored poorly as well.

This had great marketing: a bombastic trailer and a good cast. It's unfortunate that it amounted to nothing more than hollow, offensive eye candy.