When I first saw the poster, the red background and a fierce red hair lady with a sword I said to myself “This is it” I took a deep breath and dived in.
Honestly, watching this film felt like being thrown into a whirlwind of swords, betrayal, and pure grit. You know when you meet a character, and from the first scene you just know her life is about to become a storm of fire and blood? That’s Red Sonja. Her story doesn’t start with her being powerful; it starts with her being broken. She loses her family, her home is destroyed, and she’s left with nothing but rage, grief, and this burning need for vengeance. Right from the jump, I could feel the weight of her loneliness, and it made me want to root for her, almost like I was standing in her corner.
One of the earliest scenes which remained in my mind was when she was transformed into a warrior. It is not this fabulous montage - no, it is rough, painful, nearly brutal. Each cut, each blow, each trip in the training was another chisel driving her on the path to becoming this iron-willed woman that was not going to allow the world to step on her again. Factually, it made me sit back and think about my own scars, the things that I survived to be able to stand here today. That part resonated in a different way, as though the movie was not about her but about anyone who has ever had to rise from ashes to ashes.
Next is the evil queen who is as villainous as they come. She is not only lusting after power, but scheming and mean in that fashion that makes you want to scream at the screen. There was this one scene when she displayed her superiority with magical artifacts and the smirk on her face was enough to give me chills. The queen is not only an obstacle in the way of Sonja, but also her reflection of everything that Sonja despises: oppression, arrogance, power abuse. Watching Sonja deal with her was like watching a person go against their worst nightmares.
The fights, however -- you see. Not all the battles that Sonja engages in are just about the swinging of the swords; it is more like a dance of death and life. One of the scenes was this one in the ruins when she got surrounded and it seemed like she was not going to get out. And I swear I was holding my breath and watching her as she parried and struck, and her red hair went flying like flame itself at the heart of the carnage.
It wasn’t just about her surviving — it was about her proving that no matter how many times the world tried to cage her, she was always going to break free. That scene had my heart pounding, and when she finally struck down her enemies, I actually let out this shaky laugh, like damn, she did it.
However, the twist is that although she is fierce and deadly, she has this vulnerability about her, Sonja. She keeps her trauma like a sword that is invisible and fastened to her back. There are times that her eyes are vulnerable, moments that the loneliness comes back to her and it reminded me that she is still a human under all that armor. I think that that is what made me identify so much with her: she is not invincible. She bleeds, she hurts, she doubts herself but keeps on fighting, anyway.
And I must not forget the betrayals either-- because, of course, in a world such as hers not every one who smiles at you is a friend. There is a point where someone Sonja had believed she could trust betrays her and I was just sitting there thinking oh no not again. This sting of betrayal was more evident because it resembled real life whereby the knives that hurt the most are those that we often held close to our hearts.
The climax of the struggle between her and the queen? Whew. That was fire and thunder in one. The stakes were apocalyptic, the sort of fight where one wrong move would bring everything to an end. There was the sound of their swords not only physical but symbolic as well as two opposing forces of will collided. And when Sonja at last stood triumphant, bloody, but unconquered, it was like this burst of relief, pride, and naked power.
I felt as though I had walked along with her and had a little bit of her strength with me. It is a movie that tells you that you can live the fire also. And honestly? That struck me severely
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