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It’s been a long while since the heyday of the 80’s and the onslaught of sword and sorcery flicks that became ever so popular after John Milius directed a then future action star in the making Arnold Schwarzenegger in the ow iconic Conan the Barbarian. You’d be hard pressed to walk into a video store after that and not find some knock off with a muscle clad hero wielding a sword with a buxom lady by his side. Some films like The Sword and the Sorcerer looked to redefine the subgenre while others were mostly forgettable DTV time wasters which hailed from Italy or other territories.
Coming from the popularity of Robert E. Howard’s Conan, Roy Thomas and famed artist Barry Windsor-Smith of Marvel Comics created the barbarian’s female counterpart in Red Sonja who was loosely based on Howard’s Red Sonya of Rogatino and was first introduced in 1973 in the pages of Marvel. While the red-haired warrior was popular for the time, Marvel ceased in making anymore issues in 1986 while Dynamite Comics eventually took over thus changing the character in various ways. The character has stood the test of time albeit quietly in the shadows but true fans who relish in fantasy adventure both onscreen and in books have grown to love Red Sonja as a symbol of strength and power in a tiny package of ferocious determination.
During Marvel’s run, Universal, who had released the first Conan as well as its subsequent sequel Conan the Destroyer looked to capitalize on the success of Arnie’s films and made the live adaptation of Red Sonja with Schwarzenegger bringing up the rear as commercial firepower. Arnold’s role in the film was supposed to be an extended cameo but the powers that be milked his screentime as much as they could trying to make a pseudo-Conan sequel unbeknownst to Schwarzenegger himself who actually got angry but when he discovered what was going on. Brigitte Nielsen starred as the titular female slayer and the movie was a cheesy and unapologetic tongue in cheek adventure that failed miserably at the box office upon its release. The movie has gone on to achieve cult status with a legion of faithful fans but there is no denying the film has severe flaws but alas we all still love it.
A new interpretation of Red Sonja had been in developmental hell for decades with several directors and stars attached at some point only to leave the project for a variety of reasons. From Robert Rodriguez to Simon West and Rose McGowan set to star as Sonja at one time, the movie never lifted off until a few years ago when filmmaker M.J. Bassett, who helmed the criminally underrated Solomon Kane as well as several episodes of Strike Back, jumped in to deliver a new vision. Bassett’s muse would be actress Matilda Lutz who stole the show in the ultra-violent and pulpy revenge tale titled…well…Revenge which was a noirish fever dream of violence and vengeance. If you haven’t seen it, the movie is a grueling ordeal of a woman who turns the tables on her attackers and Lutz was sensational in it and thus was chosen to bring Sonja to life once again and does she ever.
Fast forward to today and finally Bassett’s Red Sonja has hit theaters for a one-day engagement ahead of a digital and VOD release at the end of the month and with it, the filmmaker goes straight for the jugular delivering a more grounded and savage vision while still maintaining the fantasy elements that have been associated with the character. This is clearly not the 1984 film as the tone goes super serious and the violence and adult content ramped up to full effect. There will be naysayers on this one for sure, but if you’re a fan of sword swinging epics like back in the day, then you should find something to enjoy with this one as I did.
This version of Red Sonja deals with a young girl who lives in the land of Hyrkania during the early days of Hyborian Age which was the fictional and stylized era created by Howard in his books. The screenplay by Tasha Huo may alienate some hardcore fans of the source material but for casual fans and longtime followers like me who won’t care about certain changes, this Red Sonja plays it a little looser.
Unfortunately, Sonja is stripped away from her people when they are savagely attacked by marauders led by a ruthless warlord seeking claim to the lands Now an adult, Sonja has been living off the grid in the forest with her trusty horse as her only companion, but she longs to be reunited with survivors of her clan. Sonja navigates a harsh and unforgiving landscape filled with brutality and merciless violence and she has adapted into a fierce fighter in order to stay alive.
Sonja’s travels are rudely interrupted when she is viciously captured by a ruthless and bloodthirsty tyrant named Dragan (Robert Sheehan, of the hit series Umbrella Academy). Dragan has built a massive army and empire, and the ruler looks to change the ways of the world through scientific and technological advancements through a special book of which he only the owner of half. Dragan wants the other half at all costs, so he scours the lands looking for it while bringing death and destruction in his wake. Now a slave, Sonja is forced to do battle with the empire’s gladiators known as the Damnati but it is only a matter of time until Sonja puts her plan into motion and looks to rebel against Dragan and his even more ruthless right-hand woman Dark Annisia (Wallis Day).
From the get-go, it is very evident that Baseet looks to hail her version of Red Sonja and Lutz as an empowering female warrior. This Sonja is less like Nielsen’s version in the original and more like Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman in the now defunct DCEU. Sure, Lutz looks sensational, but it isn’t about the eye candy here as Lutz goes all in and delivers a stripped down and fierce performance. If you’re looking for more boobs and skin, then it’s best to look towards the films of the 80’s as this Red Sonja is all about the world building of this fictional era and the arrival of a new kind of action star.
Lutz gives it her all here and in essence plays Sonja as the crimson haired warrior that develops confidence, battle tested skills and sympathy as well. Lutz is petite but with a lioness in wait flair that erupts during the film’s many fight sequences and here Lutz handles herself with full on authority and slays with the best of them. Lutz. Red Sonja is equal parts woman and ferocious warrior, and I feel she was perfectly cast for this interpretation.
The rest of the cast are pretty solid with Sheehan encompassing all that an antagonist should be in Dragan as he is hateful and sinister but there is more than meets the eye to his character when all is said and done. Sheehan knows the role he is playing, and he hams it up at the right times and does what he’s supposed to and that’s make the audience want his character dead before the credits roll. I won’t spoil anything, but I will say that you will feel a little something for him as well when the time comes and that is a testament to the film and how it switches things up from the standard tropes. There’s no denying that Dragan is to be hated as he has ransacked the world with newfound science and technology at his side but there is more to the man.
As Dark Annisia, Dragan’s wannabe queen and right-hand slayer, Wallis Day gives a cold and calculating performance as a woman who has killed and is suffering due to it. Again, just like Dragan, Dark Annisia is no good on the surface, but she is tormented and led by lies and deceit. She offers the best competition for Sonja and puts her in her place more than once establishing that she is a force to be reckoned with.
The rest of the cast includes former MMA bad boy Michael Bisping as one of the gladiators and he does stick around to do a little of what he does best. Genre favorite Rhona Mitra is criminally underused however, and fans will want to riot when they see what transpires of her character. There’s also Martyn Ford who will be seen as Shao Khan in Mortal Kombat 2 and he is unrecognizable as a monster/human hybrid who is menacing and barbaric. There are several other characters that unfortunately are not fleshed out enough including Strike Back’s Philip Winchester who shows up in the last leg of the movie but is given little to do except some brief dialogue and action moments. Lutz carries the film and more than makes up for it as it is her journey as Sonja that we all came to see and when she eventually transforms into the sword wielding red haired warrior, it is glorious in the execution.
It’s important to note that Red Sonja does not have the budget that Lord of the Rings nor Game of Thrones did, but Bassett and crew have done an admirable job with the resources they had been given. I will say that there is some dodgy CGI to be had but all in all, the effects are solid enough if you realize the production this one had. I was impressed with the Cyclops sequence though as that could have been mishandled epically but they managed to do the beat justice, and it is one of the best sequences in the film in terms of action. I quite frankly was expecting way worse until I saw the trailer and eventually the film so kudos to the filmmakers and cast for delivering what they could.
If I had to nitpick more, and I’m not going to slam the film for taking liberties on the source material, it would have to be some wooden and suspect dialogue given throughout. Now let me say that this did not, in any way shape or form, ruin the film for me as I love worse films with even worse acting so just be warned that there are a few misplaced acting beats throughout but the rest of the movie more than makes up for it.
Like I stated in my title for the review, this Red Sonja goes full on violent and rips out the throat of its predecessor with several well filmed battle sequences with some creative action design and kills. Each sequence builds from the last and there is ample gladiator style combat as well as many on many battles that go extreme and fierce in execution. The finale is quite impressive in its scope with Lutz going full-on one-woman army slaying baddies left and right while shooting arrows while flipping off balconies and screaming to full effect while sticking the superhero landing. I do wish that the climax was a tad longer as I was enjoying all the bloodshed and dismemberment and we are cheated out of a climatic showdown due to the fact that there is a twist in the plot. It’s a sympathetic one but I think I would have preferred a more barbaric ending as this is what the movie is.
Overall, while the original Red Sonja was a tongue planted firmly in cheek sword swinging guilty pleasure, the long-awaited new vision of Robert E. Howard’s classic flaming red hair warrior goes for the jugular and immerses the audience in a savage and visceral world. It manages to keep the fantasy elements present while delivering a barbaric and more grounded and brutal new tone. The action is carnage personified with a ferocious blend of bladed weaponry galore and some brutal beatdowns sprinkled in.
There are issues to be had including dodgy CGI and wooden and uninspired lines and delivery, but Matilda Lutz goes for broke as the one-woman killing machine on a blood-soaked quest of vengeance. There will be those that will bash this one but for the audience that it’s made for should relish in what it has to offer. A banging and bloody way to spend a Saturday night.
VERDICT: 3.5 Out of 5 Stars
Red Sonja Hits Digital & VOD on August 29th!
TRAILER
EXCLUSIVE CLIP
