Part 5/10:
Early promotional trailers highlight the African warriors fighting against European colonizers, leading some viewers to believe that the film pits African kingdoms against European imperialists. However, prescreening insights suggest that the actual narrative might paint the European colonizers as background antagonists, with the real conflict centered around local rivalries and internal African struggles.
Davis’s comments reinforce this, as she claims that the film depicts its protagonist—General Naniska, played by Davis—as a leader opposing the slave trade and colonization. Critics question whether this portrayal overlooks the kingdom’s involvement in slavery, choosing instead to frame white Europeans as the primary villains.