Common Sense Media Review
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Disappointing comics adaptation has lots of action violence.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
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Red Sonja
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
In RED SONJA, it's the Hyborian Age, and young Sonja's life is disrupted when her peaceful village is invaded by barbarians. She escapes and grows up alone in the forest, accompanied only by her faithful horse. One day, the adult Sonja (Matilda Lutz) is captured by Emperor Dragan the Magnificent (Robert Sheehan) and imprisoned in an inescapable pit along with several others. The prisoners are made to fight in an arena—sometimes against big monsters and sometimes against each other—for the emperor's amusement. Sonja shows her mettle by refusing to fight her comrades and by communicating with the giant creatures and empowering them. The prisoners eventually escape and are pursued by the emperor and his fearsome warrior, Annisia (Wallis Day). A showdown is imminent.
Is It Any Good?
Its best attribute is that it's a lot better than the 1985 version with Brigitte Nielsen, but this feminist fantasy-action reboot ultimately feels thin and rushed, leaving little to care about. Red Sonja star Lutz, who gave such a powerful, physical performance in Revenge (the feature directorial debut of future Oscar-nominee Coralie Fargeat), makes a great Sonja: She's far more relatable and human than Nielsen's unemotional Amazon. And director M.J. Bassett—who previously made the solid, entertaining Solomon Kane, based on another Robert E. Howard character—does an admirable job of updating the material to make it less about the male gaze. Sonja still wears her chainmail bikini, but this time it's something she's forced to do while imprisoned, and it becomes a running joke.
But the rest of the movie is rather lacking. It feels like a production that was forever short on cash and time. Nothing sticks. A so-called romance between Sonja and a character named Osin the Untouched (Luca Pasqualino) goes nowhere. The emperor—who spends the movie looking for the second half of a book that will supposedly bring him great power—is a typical scenery-chewing maniac, and Annisia, who vainly hopes to become an empress, just broods. The effects are poor, and even the scenery fails to elicit many oohs or ahs. The only thing left in Red Sonja is the fighting, but without anything to care about, it's just a bunch of empty sword-swishing.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Red Sonja's violence. How did it make you feel? Was it exciting? Shocking? What did the movie show or not show to achieve this effect? Why is that important?
How do the characters in the movie demonstrate courage? Why is that an important character strength?
How does this movie update Red Sonja from her original conception as a product of and object for the male gaze? Is she now a more progressive, powerful woman?
Sonja seems to want to live in a way that's harmonious with nature. What can we learn from her perspective?
Movie Details
- In theaters : August 13, 2025
- On DVD or streaming : August 29, 2025
- Cast : Matilda Lutz , Wallis Day , Robert Sheehan
- Director : M.J. Bassett
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Director(s) , Transgender Movie Director(s) , Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Samuel Goldwyn Films
- Genre : Action/Adventure
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic )
- Run time : 110 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : strong/bloody violence
- Last updated : September 18, 2025
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