Red Sonja (2025) | Film Review

Originally created for Marvel back in 1973 by writer Roy Thomas and artist Barry Windsor-Smith as a character to spar with Conan the Barbarian, Red Sonja has had quite the journey in entertainment. Many will remember the ill-fated Brigitte Nielsen movie back in 1985 as the most prominent interpretation of this “She-Devil with a Sword”, yet there have been numerous attempts at reviving the iconic hero for a new generation. It has long been time for another to pick up these medieval weapons, don that absurd chainmail bikini, and bring Red Sonja roaring into the modern age.

Rather than weighing the audience down with an exhaustive backstory, this iteration of Red Sonja hits the ground running with a quick glimpse into Sonja’s (Matilda Lutz) childhood before catching up with her as she roams the countryside with no one but her trusty steed at her side. This warrior, though one with questionable instincts, is captured after a rescue mission of tortured beasts goes sideways and is thrust into gladiator camp.

Here is where the story takes shape, as the villains of this story – Emperor Dragan (Robert Sheehan) and his tormented-by-voices-of-despair love Dark Annisia (Wallis Day) – force Sonja and her merry band of cohorts (including Rhona Mitra) to engage in gladiator battles while Dragan plots ways to conquer the world. After Sonja leads a revolt, her true role as leader comes to light, and her journey towards reconciling her past begins.

First and foremost, Red Sonja is cast well across the board. Matilda Lutz (who crushed it previously in The Substance director Coralie Fargeat’s film, Revenge) might not carry that massive Norse mythology physique, but she is a formidable protagonist with the chops to win the audience over and keep them on her side. Lutz’s physicality shines throughout, and despite a rather insanely abrupt hair color change mid-film, she slyly recreates Red Sonja in her own image.

The rest of the cast supports Lutz admirably, with the standout being Robert Sheehan as Dragan. Sheehan is obviously having the best time of anyone else in the film, sauntering around onscreen chewing up the scenery akin to a modern-day Alan Rickman. You need a villain who convinces the audience they believe in their plotting, no matter how ridiculous, and Sheehan delivers.

While the casting appears to be a rousing endorsement, a complete film it does not make. There are pieces of breathtaking scenery and beautiful locations, as well as several well-choreographed action scenes that get the blood boiling. But the script by Tasha Huo struggles to maintain its pace or find a steady voice in the dialogue, which does cause a speedbump in the enjoyment of the film.

Most importantly, the effects – even for a B-movie – are ill-suited for a sword and sorcery epic such as this. Far too often, we find ourselves immersed and enjoying the film as director MJ Bassett intended, and a completely lacking effect will hit the screen and completely lose all momentum the film has going for it. Perhaps a tighter pace could have helped, but that noticeable drop in quality hurts the film considerably and consistently enough to distract from the otherwise engaging elements.

Red Sonja swings for the fences, and with a bigger budget and a tighter script, this could have been the birth of an exciting new franchise. Regardless, Matilda Lutz wears the chainmail with honor (and acknowledges the impracticalness of it all) and wields the sword of a warrior with enough devotion that we are all entertained for the majority of this latest revival.