"Red Sonja" Is A Fantasy Flop

In the blood-soaked wastelands of low-budget fantasy, where swords clash with all the conviction of plastic props, M.J. Bassett's "Red Sonja" stumbles onto the screen like a warrior who has forgotten her lines. As a critic who has experienced the highs of "Conan the Barbarian" (the Schwarzenegger original, mind you) and the lows of its sequels—often with a sigh and a longing for Robert E. Howard's pulpy vigor—I entered this reboot with cautious curiosity.

Could Matilda Lutz, fresh from indie horror, embody the fiery she-devil who vows celibacy unless bested in battle? Unfortunately, this film swings wide and misses, delivering a muddled mess that dishonors the comic book icon.

Lutz stars as Sonja, a nomadic barbarian captured and forced into gladiatorial games by the tyrannical Lord Dragan (Michael Bisping, growling like a washed-up pro wrestler) and his scheming bride Annisia (Rhona Mitra, wasted in a role that's all sneer and no substance). Rallying a ragtag band of outcasts—including Robert Sheehan's wisecracking thief and Wallis Day's ethereal elf—the plot lurches through predictable quests, betrayals, and CGI-laden skirmishes.

Bassett, known for gritty survival flicks like "Rogue," aims for empowerment but ends up in exploitation territory, with Sonja's trauma-fueled origin feeling more like a checkbox than a character arc. The action sequences? A blur of shaky cam and outdated effects that make "Xena: Warrior Princess" look cutting-edge—there are green screens so obvious that they pull you out of the experience faster than a bad plot twist.

For all its attempts at feminist themes, "Red Sonja" buckles under a paper-thin script riddled with clunky dialogue ("The gods demand blood!" anyone?) and wooden performances. Lutz has presence, certainly, but she's burdened with a one-note ferocity that never evolves, while the supporting cast flounders in archetypes lifted from better epics like "Lord of the Rings" or "Game of Thrones."

The 1985 Brigitte Nielsen version, campy as it was, had more charm; this one feels like a direct-to-streaming afterthought, with a budget that evidently skipped the polish department. The pacing drags like a chainmail skirt stuck in the mud, and the themes of vengeance and freedom get lost in the gratuitous gore that prioritizes shock over story.

In a genre revitalized by "Wonder Woman" and "Furiosa," this film feels like a relic—outdated, uninspired, and ultimately forgettable. It doesn’t just fail to swing for the fences; it trips over its own scabbard.

Final Grade : D-

"Red Sonja" is avaiable on VOD