YMMV / The Woman King

• Award Snub: The film was expected to garner at least a few Academy Award nominations, but ended up getting none.
  • There was strong conviction that Viola Davis would be nominated at the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role. She wasn't in the end, and much flak was aimed at the outsider of the 2022 Academy Awards nominations instead, Andrea Riseborough for To Leslie, who was championed by a grassroots campaign of Hollywood celebrities that's not typical for the Oscars (The Woman King benefitted from more traditional studio lobbying).
  • Some felt that Gina Prince-Bythewood, who received Best Director nominations at the Critics Choice and BAFTA awards, should have received an Oscar nomination for Best Director, as well.
  • The film was also expected to get a nomination for Best Costume Design, but ultimately didn't.
• Complete Monster:
  • General Oba Ade is a high-ranking member of the Oyo Empire who seeks to expand said empire. Raiding villages during his journey of conquest, Oba would have anyone who opposes him slaughtered, while selling the woman and children as slaves. When raiding the village of Nanisca, Oba takes her for himself and has her violated repeatedly. Conspiring with the slaver Santo, Oba tries to convince the Dahomey Kingdom to join the trade, later attempting to wipe them out when they refuse. Escaping with numerous slaves, Oba tries to have them sent away before killing them off when the heroes try to intervene.
  • Santo Ferreira is a ruthless slave trader from Europe who tries to coerce multiple kingdoms into joining his trade and have them provide slaves for him. Slaves captured by him are forced into horrific conditions, with them repeatedly being brutalized, something Santo takes glee in so long as it reels in profit for him.
• Special Effect Failure: The "prank" played on the Agojie where gunpowder is hidden in the practice dummies to cause a small explosion when they are struck. The little burst of smoke looks just like the standard spray of dust which most movies use to show a solid blow, so it looks like they recoil from their own success and the pranksters start giggling at nothing. It may be accurate to how small gunpowder looks like, but the scene is just confusing.

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