Red Sonja (2025) Review!!

Synopsis – An adaptation of the comic book, Red Sonja, a vengeful warrior known as a “She-Devil with a sword”.

My Take – Fantasy has always been a difficult genre for filmmakers and studios to score at. After all, it is a genre that rises in popularity every few years or so, occasionally leaving an impact with something special, but then goes dormant for a while, even ignoring excellent works like Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023).

Such was always going to be the case of a new Red Sonja film, which has been languishing in development hell for a long time. After all, a new cinematic adventure fantasy revolving around the iconic female warrior character doesn’t have much to live up to, considering that the 1985 version starring Brigitte Nielsen and Arnold Schwarzenegger isn’t exactly beloved among genre fans.

Yet multiple stars and high-profile filmmakers have been attached at some point in time, with a Robert Rodriguez directorial that would have starred Rose McGowan as the titular character coming closest to fruition.

And this year, director M.J. Bassett, known most popularly for her work on Solomon Kane (2009), has finally delivered a version that sits at a strange intersection between Gladiator (2000) and the campy fantasy films of the 1980s that haven’t aged particularly well.

Hampered by the sort of low-budget production values and dullness of the overly long proceedings, this is a reboot that will not win any mainstream plaudits, but for the faithful represents a properly entertaining diversion. Mainly as director Bassett, working from a script by Tasha Huo (The Witcher: Blood Origin), seems to understand the assignment.

Simply told, there’s something distinctly charming about the film’s guerrilla wrangling of scale-on-a-budget. We’ve got monsters, we’ve got sweeping tales of betrayal and revenge, and, most importantly, we’ve pure goofy, B-film sword-and-sorcery. Though it has tent pole aspirations to director Bassett’s credit, she’s able to instill a big, epic feel without over-reliance on digital trickery. Leaving us with an entertaining and admittedly ridiculous flick here that isn’t trying to be much beyond that.

The story follows Sonja (Matilda Lutz), who as a youngling saw her Hyrkanian homeland getting invaded by barbarians, who forcing her to flee into the vast woods nearby. Separated from her tribe, all these years she has been searching for her scattered tribe with her trusty horse. Her quest leads her afoul of the sinister emperor Draygan (Robert Sheehan), whose followers have been capturing animals for his gladiatorial arena.

And since she is a worshiper of the forest goddess Ashera, this act offends Sonja, for her people live in balance with nature and do not hunt or kill for sport. However, her efforts to free the animals end with her enslaved and thrown in the fighting pits, where she must not only fight, but also become a legend.

The plot is standard fantasy, something that would satisfy fans of the genre. The execution, however, ups and dips throughout. It could have been tighter, and it should have hit the ground running and wrapped under 90 minutes. Also, it unwisely tells multiple films worth of story, with room to spare, and feels like a slick pilot for something even more promising to come. Leaving most of the characters underdeveloped.

There is enough plot in this film for a full season of a streaming series in the tradition of Game of Thrones. However, most of the characters underdeveloped. Chief among them is Annisia (Wallis Day), who escaped slavery to become Draygan’s bodyguard and dreams of being his empress. But is haunted by the ghosts of those she killed. However, she lacks the depths necessary to leave an impact.

What the narrative benefits from is its avoidance of the tiresome “fearless woman warrior” clichés. In this world, Sonja’s gender isn’t treated as a special narrative obstacle for the most part. Instead, the script leans into an elemental struggle between the balance of nature and the greed of those who seek to strip it away.

Also, director Bassett shoots the hell out of major battles and close-quarters, hand-to-hand tussles alike. It delivers all the swords (though it’s a little light on the sorcery) that the concept promises. Yes, some establishing shots and notable effects betray the production’s limitations. But the film meets you halfway, if you’re willing to meet it on its own terms.

Performance wise, Matilda Lutz, who made a tremendous impression in Revenge (2017), owns the role completely. Balancing the steel and tenderness that define the character, Lutz sells a grimy, bruised pit fight as easily as she can a moment of prayer or a bittersweet song of her people. The latter of which come in handy while she’s striving to keep a straight face during the absurd events here.

Robert Sheehan is a hoot and goes absolutely ham at every available opportunity. In supporting roles, Wallis Day, Luca Pasqualino, Martyn Ford, Philip Winchester, Michael Bisping and Rhona Mitra are decent enough. On the whole, ‘Red Sonja‘ is a pulpy remake that is decent for what it is.