Author Robert E. Howard is responsible for the stories of the fictional Hyborian Age, a period of time in which anything modern was stripped away due to a geological event, leaving the world rife with opportunity for fantastical adventure. A world of witches and wizards, of barbarians and marauders, a world in which cruelty and death might be more common as kindness is subjugated. Two of Howard’s most well-known figures to transcend from page-to-screen would be Conan (brought to life twice by Arnold Schwarzenegger in 1982 and 1984) and Red Sonja (by Brigitte Nielsen in 1985). Now, filmmaker MJ Bassett (Solomon Kane; Deathwatch) offers a new interpretation of the character that opts to step backward to the beginning of Sonja’s journey, before she was known as the “She-Devil with a Sword,” to a time when she’s yet to know who she is or of what she is capable. Hampered by technological limitations and a frequently too-familiar narrative arc, Bassett’s Red Sonja is nonetheless an entertaining endeavor that whets ones appetite for what could come next.
L-R: Wallis Day as Annisia and Robert Sheehan as Draygan in RED SONJA. Photo courtesy of Samuel Goldwyn Films.
A raiders’ attack on her once loving and supportive village has left the young girl Sonja (Sofia Weldon) alone in the forest and the rest of her village dead or scattered. Seeking for her people every day, the grown Sonja (Matilda Lutz) eventually falls afoul Emperor Draygan (Robert Sheehan), who is slowly expanding his empire by demolishing everything with his incredible machines. Forced into gladiatorial combat, Sonja’s attempts at escape result in failure and slaughter, until a spark of hope inspires not only Sonja to fight back, but also those with whom she spills blood. Through their clashing, both Sonja and Draygan find what they seek, the fate of all lands dangling in the balance.
Matilda Lutz as Sonja in RED SONJA. Photo courtesy of Samuel Goldwyn Films.
Written by Tasha Huo (Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft), Red Sonja is not the action/adventure fantasy tale that audiences had in ‘85 which saw the warrior as established and well-into their mythology. Rather, Huo and Bassett place Sonja, and therefore the audience, back at the beginning, which creates far more advantages than not. This does require the film to spend time on the past, though not in such a way that it lingers beyond what’s significant to this specific story — an advantage made quite clear by the film’s end. This enables Bassett and Huo to create their own mythology separate from the established lore, even while acknowledging (straight or silly) the past. As shown in the trailer, for instance, Sonja does end up in the signature chainmail bikini, but the context creates reasoning beyond “because that’s what she’s known for.” In the situation, Sonja is the latest “recruit” to join the slaves (dubbed Damnati) who are in process of heading to the arena to entertain the masses. In the trailer, the armament dealer seems to be having a laugh at Sonja’s expense, misogynistically offering up the chainmail combo; however, in reality, as the newest member, she doesn’t have the cache to get anything good and that chainmail combo is all she has access to as a means of swaying the crowd (with the option to upgrade if she survives). What follows is a turn of events that would make Maximus (Russell Crowe) or Spartacus (Kirk Douglas) proud as she turns something meant to be reductive into a tool to quell suppressive forces, not exactly a badge of honor, but a transformation of a tool of oppression into a means of disarming opponents who would already see Sonja as weak, as diminished further by her garb.
Martyn Ford as General Karlak in RED SONJA. Photo courtesy of Samuel Goldwyn Films.
Part of what makes this world feel realized is the general lack of explanation of things, which provides space for what needs to be. Specially, the film makes no effort to explain beyond what’s needed the culture of Sonja’s people, the existence of non-traditional fauna, and advanced species like ape people. Good films guide the audience regarding what’s expected and what’s not entirely by how the protagonist responds and, here, Sonja’s biggest reaction to anything she sees is to injustice or natural imbalance. Specifically, the event that puts her on the path to meet Draygan in the first place is when she’s nearly spotted by poachers and, in seeing their handy work, she decides to deliver some justice of her own. Thus, when we meet General Karlak (Martyn Ford) and Sonja doesn’t bat an eye, neither do we. This tells us immediately that what might trigger audiences is something she’s prepared for, which makes any later surprises to her all the more so for us. Big credit, of course, to the makeup and prosthetic teams on Red Sonja as gags large and small (full facial prosthetics for the ape people to simple dental prosthetics or scars) appear neither gauche nor false, generating a wonderful facsimile of realism that we buy into immediately. No pomp, no circumstance — these are just beings living their lives, trying to survive under tyranny. Additionally, the stunt work led by stunt coordinator Kaloyan Vodenicharov (Young Woman and the Sea), when not shot around, manages to impress. While there’s a certain amount of presumption that all warriors must be built like body-builders, the structures of the stunts enable us to believe that someone of Lutz’s size can hold their own by utilizing styles of combat that lean into agility and speed over power. There are instances in which the cuts to different camera angles start to suggest a lack of confidence in what the cast can or can’t do, but Lutz and her fighting double (Desislava Asenova) are innocent.
Michael Bisping as Hawk in RED SONJA. Photo courtesy of Samuel Goldwyn Films.
In terms of narrative theme, Huo’s script might appear trite at first as it explores the notion of “finding ones’ self,” but, as the audience travels deeper into the film, the script evolves within the scope of character revelations and personal arcs to be quite impactful, demonstrating that the time taken for the film, the near two-hour runtime, is necessary in order to accomplish the task and land the intention. Additionally, while certain aspects of Draygan’s source for his brilliance don’t make sense when given any thought within the scope of what the film tells us here, the narrative choice for Draygan by Huo creates a fascinating opportunity to explore socio-economic and philosophical concepts as they compare Progressivism, with Draygan representing forward thinking that brought about the Industrial Revolution, to Naturalism, presented by Sonja’s perspective. Of course, what makes Draygan lose in the ideology front is the methods by which he goes about his technological advancements and kingdom expansion, which is entirely colonialist in its disregard for local customs and preference for total dominance in order to fulfil a vision. Thus, Draygan doesn’t just represent a standard villain, but someone who will force people into an advanced age through the proper application of pressure that grinds bones and gushes blood, while delivering unto his supporters distractions of all kinds so that they don’t think about the cruelty done in the name of innovation and expansion. While not exactly a 1:1 corollary to a lot of goings on in the U.S. circa 2025 (and very likely not the intention), one can see how history appears to be repeating itself in the way in which fascists take control, govern, and distract, which gives the entirely false villain a strong hint of realism.
Wallis Day as Annisia in RED SONJA. Photo courtesy of Samuel Goldwyn Films.
But not all ambition is bad and there’s plenty coursing through Red Sonja and its to be applauded. Bassett and Huo imbue the film with a sense of scale and grandeur, giving the world an anchor so that we don’t just feel dropped in here but grounded. Even when the script holds similar notes to those of the Gladiator films, there’s enough unique within the execution to be surprised where Huo jumps the track. Even when it’s clear that the characters are on a different plane of existence, such as Sonja initially shown within the arena or battling a creature (as shown in the trailer), one can get the grandiose intention of the filmmaker to the point of positing what they could do with a greater budget and more adept CG team. Even when the camera seems to shy away from some of the close-quarters slashing, there’s still plenty of bloodletting to demonstrate a willingness to get nasty. Even when it feels like we can see the seams, we still find ourselves quite entertained. What more could you really want from a series that’s spent more time focused on a Cimmerian? In this case, another round to see what they can do and where Sonja goes from here.
In select theaters August 13th, 2025 for one day only.
Available on VOD August 29th, 2025.
For more information, head either to the official Red Sonja Samuel Goldwyn Films webpage or theatrical release website.
Final Score: 3.5 out of 5.
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Categories: In Theaters, Reviews, streaming
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