Red Sonja is one of those films that was in development forever.

In 2008, Robert Rodriguez was rumored to be planning to direct a Red Sonja film with Rose McGowan in the title role.  Then, in 2012, it was Simon West who was being mentioned as the film’s director.  In 2018, Bryan Singer announced that he would be directing but he was dropped from the project (and every other project he had going) in 2019.  Joey Soloway, best-known for co-creating the briefly trendy show Transparent, was announced as Singer’s replacement.  Soloway left the project in 2022 and was replaced by MJ Bassett.  Red Sonja was filmed in 2023 and then sat on the shelf for two years before it was finally released in 2025.

Needless to say, a lot happened between 2023 and 2025.  By the time Red Sonja was released, it felt like an artifact from a different world.  Red Sonja is very much a film of the action girl era.  Sonja can beat up just about anyone and she usually does it without breaking a sweat.  As was so often the case with the films of the action girl era, the film is so proud of itself for featuring a woman who can fight that no one involved seemed to notice that they hadn’t really come up with anything interesting for her to do.

Sonja (blandly played by Matilda Lutz) has spent most of her life in the forests of a mythical land, searching for the otnher members of her tribe and communing with the animals.  When she has to hunt and kill a animal in order to eat, she is sure to say, “Thank you for your sacrifice.”  I’m sure her gratitude will provide comfort to the animal’s family.  (I’ve never really gotten the whole attitude that hunting is somehow noble as long as you use every bit of the animal and thank it for dying.  I’m sure the animal would still rather be alive.)   When Sonja is captured and forced to become a gladiator, she discovers that her people are being held prisoner by the effete emperor, Draygan (Robert Sheehan, who is even blander than Matilda Lutz).  In the arena, Sonja shouts questions at the emperor and the audience because, thanks to Russell Crowe and Ridley Scott, that’s what gladiators do.  She’s also given her famous chain mail bikini.  The film is quick to make sure we understand that Sonja isn’t into the whole chain mail bikini thing but she has to wear something.  Unintentionally, the film also reveals that the filmmakers aren’t really interested in making a Red Sonja film.  Everything that made Red Sonja a memorable character in the comic books and the original film is either ignored or viewed with snarky disdain.  The only reason the film is called Red Sonja is because Grim Barbarian Woman didn’t have the same zing.

Now, I will say that Red Sonja does get better as it goes along.  In fact, the film’s climax features an unexpected twist and, if the entire film had that scene’s courage, this review would be very different.  Unfortunately, Red Sonja looks and feels cheap and worst of all, it’s never fun.  It’s very much a 2023 film and 2o23 was a year when anyone who dared to enjoy themselves was viewed with suspicion.  It may have more of a political consciousness than the 80s version but it’s not as entertaining.