Genre: Action/Adventure/Fantasy
Director: Lexi Alexander
Writer: Roy Horne
Based on the character created by Roy Thomas
Cast: Karen Gillan, Milla Jovovich, Zach McGowan, Manu Bennett, Sean Bean, Cliff Curtis, Max Irons, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Rosa Salazar, Mark Addy, Sadie Sink
Plot: During the Hyborian Age, in the Western Hyrkanian foothills, rests a small village. Ivor (Sean Bean), the village's blacksmith teaches his daughter Sonja (Sadie Sink) his trade and how to defend herself with a sword. As she grows up, Sonja regularly bests the young males in her village in sword-fighting and combat training. Her father tells her this is all and good, but he doesn't want her going out fighting and hunting like the men, but she can be his apprentice blacksmith.
Ten years later, Sonja (Karen Gillan) enjoys a picnic with Kalin (Max Irons), a local miller. Kalin proposes marriage to Sonja, which she accepts and runs to her father's forge to tell her the news. She congratulates her, but asks her if she intends to continue training to take over his business or if she plans on becoming a kept woman. She assures her that she will not become house wife taking care of Kalin's every need, and she wouldn't agree to marry Kalin if that's what she thought he would expect. Ivor says that is good. He sets aside some swords and begins forging wedding bands for the young couple.
Meanwhile in Turan, the capital of Hyrkania, Gedren (Milla Jovovich) prepares for own wedding to the widowed King of Hyrkania, King Bazrat (Cliff Curtis). Gedren asks Bazrat what he would like as a wedding present, and he tells her he does not need any present since he is already set to wed the most beautiful bride on their wedding day. Gedren meets with her advisor, the sorceress Vammatar (Shohreh Aghdashloo), and tells her what Bazrat said. Vammatar asks if Gedren believes Bazrat's comment to be true. Gedren says it has to be since that is Bazrat's wedding present. Vammatar tells Gedren that there is another set to be wed on the same day, a young woman in a small village in the foothills. She, not Gedren, will be the most beautiful bride that day. This angers Gedren. She asks Bazrat how important it is that she is the most beautiful bride on their wedding day. He says it is very important. Gedren tells him that if that is to be so, then he must send soldiers to the foothills on their wedding day to destroy a small village. She tells him that it can be his wedding present to her as well.
On Sonja's wedding day, she wears the same dress her late mother wore when she wed Ivor. Her father, Ivor, tells her how much he wishes her mother could be there to see how beautiful she looks on her wedding day. In a field just outside of the village, Ivor walks Sonja down the isle while Kalin watches his bride get closer. Kalin's attention is then captured by the sight of smoke and fire coming from the village. Everyone else turns and looks on in horror. Ivor tells Sonja to stay put while he goes to help. Kalin kisses Sonja on the cheek and tells her that he'll be back momentarily to marry her.
When Ivor and Kalin make it to the village, they find Lord Luthan (Manu Bennett) commanding his soldiers to destroy the entire village. Ivor rushes to his forge to arm himself with a sword, while Kalin rushes to his mill to grab his bow and arrow. Ivor and Kalin manage to take out several of Luthan's men, but they are overwhelmed by the numbers, and are slain. Tired of waiting around helplessly, Sonja runs back into the village. First she finds Kalin's dead body. She kneels down beside him and cries. Her wedding gown begins to become stained red from her groom's blood. She then heads further in the village, hoping her father is still alive.
Outside of her father's forge, she finds her father, dying on the ground. She is then attacked by the soldiers. She grabs her father's sword and fends off some of them, but they eventually pin her to the ground. Luthan walks over and says he doesn't see what all the fuss is about with her. Nonetheless, he tells his men to keep her still and he proceeds to rape her while the village burns to the ground. Afterward, Sonja lays in the mud, her gown completely stained red from blood. She is shattered at the loss of her father, fiance, village and virtue. Luthan tells Sonja that she is a better sword fighter than lover. He then orders his men to chain Sonja up.
In Gedren's chambers, Vammatar looks into her crystal ball and informs Gedren that the rival wedding did not happen and Gedren will assuredly be the most beautiful bride that day after what Luthan did to the other woman. Gedren thanks Vammatar for her help and finishes getting into her extravagant wedding gown. Gedren leaves her chambers and enters the palace's reception hall where King Bazrat is waiting with the priest. Gedren smiles happily.
Lord Luthan and his ride away from the destroyed village with a chained up Sonja. They ride into a coastal city where Luthan sells Sonja to a some slavers. Sonja is taken into a dungeon where she is scrubbed clean and dressed up in a red leather bikini. She is then thrown into a cell where she meets fellow slave Anissia (Rosa Salazar). Sonja asks Anissia where she has been taken, and Anissia tells Sonja that she has been sold into the local Duke's harem. Sonja asks what that means, but just as Anissia is about to answer, the cell doors open and guards grab the two women. Anissia tells Sonja that she about to find out for herself.
Sonja and Anissia are brought before the slovenly Duke Blanton (Mark Addy). Before them is a table covered in meats and fruit. He orders them to feed him grapes. Anissia immediately begins following the order, but Sonja doesn't move. A guard kicks Sonja in the back, knocking her into the table. Blanton laughs and says that it is in her best interest to oblige his every request. Sonja grabs a handful of grapes and begins feeding them to Blanton. The Duke laughs heartily. He then tells Anissia and Sonja to feed each other some grapes. After a couple grapes, Blanton orders them to stop. He says he doesn't want them to get fat from eating too much. He then orders them to kiss each other. Anissia kisses Sonja, but Sonja resists, pushing Anissia away. One of the guards then lashes Sonja's back with a whip. Blanton orders Sonja to try again, but this time to use her tongue. Blanton happily watches as Sonja and Anissia kiss and caress each other, but then suddenly he orders them to stop and leave his chambers. Sonja and Anissia are then taken back to their cell.
Anissia asks Sonja how she came to be sold to Blanton. Sonja looks down at her wedding band and says she doesn't want to talk about it. Anissia then describes how she came to be Duke Blanton's prisoner, and she describes how her family died while traveling through the mountains and she was saved by a man she thought was charming and handsome, but the man quickly sold her to Blanton as soon as they made it to the city. Sonja asks Anissia if she's ever tried to escape, but Anissia says it would be no use. Every girl who has tried to escape Blanton's custody has wound up dead. Sonja tells Anissia that the only thing she fears worse than death is spending the rest of her life here. This hits Anissia hard and she stops talking to Sonja.
The now Queen Gedren sits upon her throne beside her husband King Bazrat. Lord Luthan enters the palace. Gedren and Bazrat thank him for his good work at making their wedding the festive event it became. Luthan says he was just performing his duty. As Luthan is about to leave, Queen Gedren asks Luthan what became of the bride, and asks if she is dead. Luthan says he gave the young woman a fate far worse than death. He pillaged her entire village and killed her entire family. He broke her and sold her to slavers. Gedren asks Luthan if the young woman was beautiful. Luthan says that she does not hold a candle to the beauty of his queen. Gedren and Bazrat are pleased and send Luthan on his way.
Sonja and Anissia are brought into Blanton's chambers again. He once again tells them to feed him. Anissia does as she is told, but Sonja is once again defiant. The guard goes to kick her again, but Sonja quickly turns and grabs his leg, knocking him to the floor. She kicks him in the face and grabs his sword. Anissia watches on as Sonja kills both guards. She then walks over to Blanton, who is terrified. She then cuts off his head with one swing of the sword. Sonja cuts her chains with the sword and cuts Anissia's chains as well. Sonja tells Anissia to stay close to her as they make their escape. They make their way through the palace's corridors, Sonja killing each guard they encounter. They jump down from a palace wall and run toward the city.
In the city, Sonja and Anissia steal some robes to try to blend in as guards from the palace canvas the city to find the murderers of Duke Blanton. Sonja suggests they split up since the guards will most likely be looking for two women together. Anissia doesn't like the idea, but Sonja tells her it is their best hope at evading capture. Sonja tells Anissia to meet her at the northern edge of the city along the coast in the morning. Not long after, a guard spots Sonja and her distinct red hair and begins chasing after her. Sonja runs away and into a tavern. She sees a man (Zach McGowan) sitting by himself in the back of the tavern. She begs him to help her hide. The man sees the guard enter the tavern and start looking around. The man tells Sonja to get under the table and tells her to make herself as small as possible at his feet. The man then drapes a fur over her. The guard looks around the tavern and eventually reaches the back where the man sits and Sonja hides. The guard asks the man if he's seen a red haired woman, but the man says he has not. The guard then leaves the tavern. The man then tells Sonja it's safe. She climbs out from under the table and sits across from him. He asks for her name. She says Sonja, and the man introduces himself as Conan.
In the morning, Sonja and Conan walk toward the coast to find Anissia, but she isn't anywhere to be found. Conan asks Sonja what she intends to do. Sonja tells Conan that she has no family or home left, so she intends to find the man who took them from her - Lord Luthan - and make him suffer as she has. Conan tells Sonja that Luthan works for King Bazrat in Turan to the east. Sonja tells Conan that is where she is headed then. Conan tells her he too is headed in that general direction, so they might as well travel together. Sonja declines his offer and begins heading East.
Queen Gedren meets with Vammatar in her chambers. She tells Vammatar that she wants Vammatar to conjure up some way for Gedren to remain beautiful forever. She has no interest in aging or losing her looks like the queen before her. Turan is a land that requires a queen of immense beauty and she intends that to be her for the foreseeable future. Vammatar tells Gedren that she begin work on it immediately.
In a village, Sonja is caught trying to steal food from a market. She pleads with the shopkeep to let her work off her debt, telling him that she is a blacksmith. He scoffs and tells her that the he will send for guards from the city to take her into custody where her hand will be chopped clean off. Conan then appears and asks the shopkeep what's going on. He tells Conan that he caught a thief. Conan gives Sonja a look and tells the shopkeep that he will be more than happy to repay him for whatever it is that she took. The shopkeep turns down the offer, saying that he would rather see her taken into custody to suffer to teach her a lesson about thievery. Conan throws the shopkeep a gold coin and tells him that should cover it. He tells Sonja to go ahead and start walking away, but the shopkeep interjects. Conan urges the shopkeep to be happy to be paid for his goods and that if he takes another step toward the woman, he will make him suffer. The shopkeep stands down and looks at the coin Conan tossed him. Realizing it is fake, he starts screaming after them. Conan urges Sonja that she should hurry and offers to let her ride on his horse. Sonja begrudgingly accepts. She tells Conan that she has never stolen anything before. Conan says it shows and offers to show her the ropes. Sonja insists that she is not a thief at heart and does not want to get into the habit of it.
When they get to the next village, Conan senses that his horse is starting to have trouble carrying the weight of two people. Conan asks Sonja to talk to a farmer to ask for directions to Turan. She says she thought he knew the way, but he tells to just do it. While Sonja is talking to the farmer, Conan steals a horse. As Conan makes his getaway with the horse, Sonja quickly makes a run for it. Once they are clear of the farm, Conan gives the horse to Sonja. Sonja thanks Conan, even if she disagrees with his methods of acquiring the horse. Sonja asks Conan what he needs to do near Turan, and Conan simply says he has to visit someone.
As Conan and Sonja continue their journey, Conan realizes that they are traveling through Cimmeria. Sonja hasn't heard of it before, and Conan tells her that the Cimmerians were a hunter gatherer people before they were completely wiped out in the not too distant past. They come across the ruins of a village and Conan dismounts his horse. Conan walks to the ruins of a smithy and takes a seat. Sonja follows him and asks what the ruins are. Conan says that it is the village he was born in. Sonja asks what happened. Conan tells her that his village was destroyed and his entire people were slaughtered by a warlord. He was just a boy at the time and was placed into slavery. Sensing a connection to Conan, Sonja kisses Conan. He kisses her back, and they spend the evening making love by the camp fire.
Queen Gedren asks Vammatar if she has come up with any kind of spell or remedy for immortal beauty. Vammatar says it would require Gedren to bathe in the blood of the most beautiful women in all the land. Gedren asks who that would be, and Vammatar cryptically says that the bride draws near. Gedren asks Vammatar to cease her riddles and give her the necessary information. Vammatar says that the young woman who challenged Gedren for the most beautiful bride has come to the city to get her revenge. Vammatar warns Gedren that the woman is dangerous. Gedren laughs at the warning, insisting that she is no match for the mightiest soldier in the Turan army. Vammatar prepares to leave the chamber. Gedren asks where she is going. Vammatar says that she hasn't lived for a millennia by sticking around when danger is near. Vammatar collects her crystal ball and vanishes in a cloud of purple smoke.
In the morning, Conan awakes to find Sonja getting his father's blacksmith workshop back into shape. He asks what she thinks she is doing, and she says that she was her father's apprentice before his death and that she will need new weapons if she is going to get her revenge against Luthan. She takes the sword she stole from Blanton's guard and begins re-forging it. While she is working on that, Conan tells her that he is going to go hunting so that they do not starve. After she is done with the sword, Sonja begins attaching chainmail to her red leather bikini. Conan ventures into the mountains nearby as snow begins to fall. He senses some tracks and begins following them with his sword in hand. Conan sniffs the air and then howls like a wolf. A wolf then comes out of some brush and charges toward Conan, ready to attack. Conan returns to the village ruins with a dead wolf over his shoulders and two dead rabbits in his hand. Sonja is impressed by his haul. While Sonja cooks a rabbit stew, Conan skins the wolf and hands her the pelt. He tells her that the season is turning toward the cold and she could use some warm furs to wear. Sonja thanks him and wraps the fur around herself.
When they get to the outer gates of Turan, Conan tells Sonja that this is where he gets off the caravan. Sonja thanks Conan for his help, and Conan rides away from Turan southbound. Sonja enters the city and rides toward the palace. She announces herself at the palace, saying she's there to see Lord Luthan. The guards are confused, but go to get him nonetheless. Luthan is surprised to see Sonja there. He asks her if she missed his touch. Sonja spits at the ground and says she's there for revenge. Luthan laughs and asks if she really thinks it was his idea. He tells her he was simply acting on behalf of the queen herself. Sonja asks why the queen would ever want to harm her, and Luthan says he doesn't care. It's his job to follow the commands of the king and queen of Turan, plain and simple. Guards come up behind Sonja and grab her. Luthan tells them to bring her into the palace.
Queen Gedren and King Bazrat are alerted by a commotion and exit their chambers. They find some guards holding Sonja on her knees while Luthan taunts her for being foolish enough to come here. Gedren is surprisingly excited to see Sonja before her since she needs her blood. Bazrat demands to know what is going on, but Gedren tells him not to worry about it. Gedren then orders Luthan to have Sonja brought to her bath chamber.
The guards have tied Sonja up above the queen's bathing pool from her feet. As Queen Gedren prepares to slit Sonja's throat to bleed her out, there is a loud commotion just outside her bathing chamber. Gedren calls out for the guards, but nobody answers. Gedren readies a scythe to slice Sonja with, when suddenly the doors burst open and Conan throws a blade that cuts Sonya down. Conan tosses Sonja her sword. Luthan then enters the bathing chamber and attacks Conan. Queen Gedren runs away from Sonja and begins climbing the staircase to the top of the palace's tower. Sonja chases after her.
Meanwhile, a few more guards enter the bathing chamber. Conan comments that it is finally a fair fight. He pulls out two swords, fighting several guards at once. Conan slays one guard after another, their bodies making a pile inside the bathing pool, filling it up with their blood. Conan then sets his sights on Luthan. Luthan stabs Conan in the side with a short sword. Conan pulls the blade out of his side and stabs Luthan in the throat with it. Luthan falls down on top of the other bodies in the bathing pool. Sonja has chased Queen Gedren all the way up to the top of the tower. Sonja asks the queen why she did all of this. Queen Gedren tells Sonja that she refused to be upstaged on her own wedding day by some commoner like Sonja. Queen Gedren pulls out a dagger and braces herself at the edge of the tower. A brick comes loose, causing Gedren to lose her footing, sending her falling to her death several stories below. Sonja walks to the edge and looks down at Gedren's body down below.
Sonja walks down the stair case to find Conan. She thanks him for coming back to help her, and asks him why he didn't go visit the person he said he was. Conan reveals that he is on his own quest for revenge. He's already killed most of the men responsible for the death of his village, but there are still left to find. He tells her that his vengeance can be had tomorrow or even the next day. They begin walking out of the palace together when they are stopped by King Bazrat and a group of guards. Sonja and Conan give each other a look. They then charge at the guards, blades drawn.
Post-Credits: Sonja and Conan sit upon the thrones of the King and Queen, exhausted and covered in blood. At their feet, the slaughtered bodies King Bazrat and his guards litter the ground.
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