I’m no Robert E. Howard scholar, but I’ve read quite a bit of his work, from the Hyborian adventures of Conan The Barbarian to the Puritan wanderings of Solomon Kane. It’s probably been a decade and change since I read his stuff, but Howard spins a particular type of fantastical yarn that speaks pretty deeply to me and whisks my heart and my imagination off to another realm that will forever draw me in. As such, I’ve been a fan of Director M.J. Bassett’s Solomon Kane adaptation (2009) since day one. I also adored Matilda Lutz’s breakout starring role in Coralie Fargeat’s Revenge as well. I bring up all these bona fides not to bolster my own cred, but rather to say: I was pretty much a mark for M.J. Bassett’s Red Sonja.
But expectations can be a tricky thing. The pedigree here got me incredibly excited, but could it live up to my expectations? What if all that attachment I have to this universe, and to the past work of these creatives, set me up for massive disappointment? It’s happened before, and it will happen again. We’re all only human, and it’s easy enough to overhype ourselves in any number of ways. Fortunately, I need not have worried.
M.J. Bassett’s Red Sonja kicks unholy amounts of ass, and ranks among the very best action films of 2025; not to mention being handily one of the best Robert E. Howard big screen adventures ever made. When making claims like that, the elephant in the room must be addressed. Yes, John Milius’ 1982 Arnold Schwarzenegger-starring Conan The Barbarian remains the greatest adaptation of Howard’s work that’s ever been filmed, and that will almost certainly never be topped. But I’d argue that Bassett has now crafted two of the best adaptations of Howard’s work… and Milus can’t say that. So, I’m ready to crown a new queen of the sword and sorcery subgenre! But I’m getting ahead of myself. (And yes, I’m aware that this iteration of Sonja is more of a Marvel comics character than one written by Howard… but no Howard, no Red Sonja).
Sonja’s origins are not unlike many a vengeful hero’s. Her idyllic childhood is shattered when marauders ravage her village and she’s left separated from her tribe, eking out a solitary existence with an uncanny ability to communicate with animals and commune with nature in an elf-like fashion. When we connect with the grown Sonja, this is where we find her. She’s in search of her tribe, wandering the forest, praying for the day she can be reunited with her people. And this is where I began to feel that this might be something special. For while Howard created the Hyborian Age, and writer Roy Thomas wrote 70s-era Marvel comics that reintroduced this iteration of the character as a contemporary of Conan in the Hyborian Age… this iteration of the tale is directed by a woman, and written by one! (Tasha Huo, The Witcher: Blood Origin, Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft).
Look, I’m a straight white male who probably first came to love sword and sorcery films because of Milius’ Conan, or the red-blooded fantasy art of Frank Frazetta, where the men are muscle brutes, and the women are voluptuous and clothing-challenged. I’d be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge that there’s at least some fetishization at the heart of the sword and sorcery subgenre, not to mention specifically in the depictions of Red Sonja that have come before. But that’s why it matters so much that this version has been brought to life by women. Is Matilda Lutz drop-dead gorgeous as Sonja? Absolutely. Will she don impractical, highly revealing chain mail with questionable battle benefits? Most certainly. But will Bassett, Huo, and Lutz do it in their own way, with a wink, and eschewing exploitation? Also yes! There was a high wire act here, to be sure: Sonja needs to be a competent, adept warrior who brings the action in order to please fans and new audiences as well. But her abject hotness also needed to be there, not as an object to be ogled, but as an exciting hero to be admired by people of all sexualities and genders. It also helps to make her, you know… a human being!
And while Lutz’s casting and performance as Sonja have a lot to do with the nailing of this balance, I would argue that Huo’s script and Bassett’s direction are even more crucial. In the first act, we see her get to be gentle, and resourceful, surviving off the land, and communicating with creatures of all kinds, most importantly her horse. (Her relationship with her horse is one of those classic western deals where the horse is just shy of human and will be an audience favorite). Then as the main plot picks up and Sonja begins to seek vengeance on the villainous Emperor Draygan (Robert Sheehan), we begin to see Sonja forge alliances in gladiatorial slavery, grow in combat and leadership prowess, and become someone of import and renown. I guess this is the stuff of every origin story, but Red Sonja feels particularly vulnerable, allowing our hero to make mistakes, to lose, and to fail, connecting us to her humanity before seeing her rise again (literally, as this iteration gloriously embraces the weird gods, dark magic, bizarre tech, and mythological monsters of Howard’s creation) to unleash hell as a warrior queen. Even the climax, brutal and savage enough to quell the bloodlust in any actionite, makes space for a female voice, and a touch of empathy, that doesn’t so much soften Sonja as prove her to be exactly the right action hero that the world needs to see today.
As the story progresses, the cast gets further opportunities to shine. A playful love interest arises in Luca Pasqualino’s Osin The Untouched (named thus because no blade has ever cut him). A bond is forged with a bruting Cimarrion (no, not that Cimarrion) warrior in Michael Bisping’s Hawk. The villainous Draygan is also fleshed out and given dimension through the relationship with his war chief and physical foil for Sonja, Annisia (Wallis Day looking shockingly similar to a young Brigitte Nielson in what I can only read as an homage to the 1985 Red Sonja adaptation). Sonja will fall to dark lows, she’ll rise in wisdom, community, and frankly she’ll become all the more deadly. We’ll experience camaraderie and clear motivations from villains and side-characters alike. There will be massive battles and action set pieces reminiscent of Guillermo Del Toro’s reverence and care for magical creatures and a weight and meaning afforded to “silly” lore and otherworldly magic that doesn’t exist in our world, but makes us long for the Hyborian Age.
It’s almost as if the whole team had something to prove, and a real story to tell, and not simply a sick IP to mine for content.
To set expectations in check, this isn’t a $200 million blockbuster we’re talking about here. I’d say there are some dodgy visual effects, moments when the budget limitations are clearer than others (Emperor Draygan seems to be more of a warlord over dozens of extras than ruler of any visually depicted mighty kingdom), and many a shortcut were taken to get this film out into the world. And it’s also pretty niche. Not everyone’s going to be as swept away as I was by the age of adventure that Bassett and team were cooking up here. Myself, I saw creativity and artistic voice in every set piece. I saw a richly portrayed beloved fantasy world brought to life by a team who knew how to do a whole lot with a little. I saw exactly the kind of ambitious action/fantasy I hoped for, and my greatest desire would be that this team score a financial hit and be allowed to keep playing in this Hyborian Age, spinning more yarns that kick ass, build worlds, explore relationships, and cause audience hearts to stir with the spirit of adventure.
And I’m Out.
Red Sonja gets a one-night only theatrical release August 13th, 2025 and then hits digital August 29th, 2025.
