Desert Warrior Review: Can Anthony Mackie Turn a Saudi-Funded Desert Epic Into a Blockbuster?
Five years and $150 million later, Rupert Wyatt’s Desert Warrior lands with a thud—Anthony Mackie fronts a Saudi-financed bid for Lawrence of Arabia grandeur that never materializes.
So Saudi Arabia decided it's time to try and break into the Hollywood blockbuster game, and the result is 'Desert Warrior'—a movie with a gigantic budget, a Marvel star up front, and more sand than an entire year of Tatooine weather reports. If you haven’t heard much about Saudi cinema, there’s a reason for that. Most big films haven’t come out of that region, even though they’ve been throwing cash at trying to get a seat at the global box office table. 'Desert Warrior' is their big calling card, and honestly, it’s got some fascinating parts, and a lot that’s just... there.
The Setup: Ancient Arabia, Reluctant Royalty, and a Righteous Bandit
Here’s the premise: We’re in seventh-century Arabia, with tribes constantly at each other's throats. Enter the power-hungry Emperor Kisra (Ben Kingsley, who honestly does most of his villainy sitting down), aiming to collect princesses from rival tribes as concubines. Princess Hind (played by Aiysha Hart) isn’t having it. Instead of rolling over, she links up with a notorious thief known as Bandit—Anthony Mackie, looking heroic even when the script doesn’t give him much to do.
Bandit helps Hind and her father King Numan (Ghassan Massoud) escape Kisra’s men. This ticks off Jalabzeen (Sharlto Copley), Kisra’s enforcer, whose European backstory is there to justify why the cast is a real international mix—everything from British to Turkish to North African actors. Eventually, Hind ends up leading the scattered Arabian tribes into battle against Kisra's armies. If you’re thinking you’ve seen this type of underdog-unites-the-tribes story before, well, you probably have, about a dozen times.
Wait, Anthony Mackie Isn't Even the Main Character?
If you went by the trailers, you’d think this is the Anthony Mackie show. Not quite. While Mackie is front and center in all the marketing, his actual role is a supporting one—he basically swoops in at key moments, plays the classic rogue savior, then vanishes for chunks of the movie. The real lead is Princess Hind, who is given a decent amount of screen time, though her character arc is basically 'politely ask men to follow her, and they immediately do.'
The Cast and Crew—Who's Who
- Princess Hind (Aiysha Hart): The central character, pulling the tribes together.
- Bandit (Anthony Mackie): The 'legendary bandit' who plays more of a sidekick here.
- King Numan (Ghassan Massoud): Hind’s father, spends a lot of time in distress.
- Emperor Kisra (Ben Kingsley): The main villain, barely moves from his chair.
- Jalabzeen (Sharlto Copley): The Emperor's loyal commander, gets minor complexity.
- Director: Rupert Wyatt ('Rise of the Planet of the Apes')
- Writers: Rupert Wyatt & Erica Beeney, from a story by David Self
The Visuals: Gorgeous... and Weirdly Promotional
Where 'Desert Warrior' really does shine is its look. Shot in Neom, Saudi Arabia—which seems to be half the point of the project—the movie is basically a postcard for the region. You get sweeping dunes, dramatic rock formations, and huge battle scenes (with the occasional awkward CGI camel or hyena). The costumes are elaborate, the villages feel authentic, and every now and then, it feels like you’re just watching the world’s fanciest travel video, not an actual story.
The main city set, Kisra’s home base, is the most complicated bit of world-building you’ll see. The rest is all small tribes or sprawling desert.
The Surprises: Diversity and a (Very Cautious) Feminist Angle
One thing you might not expect: This is a pretty diverse cast, with actors from several continents, and a central female character leading the charge. For a country that’s hardly progressive when it comes to gender rights, it's wild that Hind is the one uniting the tribes and calling the shots. That said, none of this is handled especially deeply, and it’s possible the film’s long production delays and behind-the-scenes squabbling came down to disagreements over how far to push those themes.
Here’s my guess: Some of the Saudi financiers might have gotten cold feet when they saw just how much the script was emphasizing women leading the charge. 'Too liberal,' maybe, for some tastes on the funding side.
The Problems—Script and Substance
For all its epic photography, 'Desert Warrior' is just not a great story. The script is as bare-bones as you can get: characters are barely sketched in, everyone makes huge decisions based on almost nothing, and big battle scenes aim for 'Lord of the Rings' but don’t come close. Want to know more about Mackie’s character? Too bad. Kisra, the big bad? Sits through his only scene. Jalabzeen, the henchman? At least he hesitates once before being evil again.
The final battle is built up as a historic showdown (loosely tied to the real War of the Camel’s Udder, which honestly sounds like a Monty Python parody), but weird CG creatures and iffy war elephants don’t help.
The Soundtrack... and the Takeaway
Even the score by Dan Levy feels borrowed—like a playlist of other epic soundtracks, mashed together. 'Interstellar' meets 'Dune,' sideways.
Rupert Wyatt has proven he can craft some great visuals, and to be fair, the 'Desert Warrior' locations look amazing. Beyond that? The pacing drags, the plot is empty, and it mostly feels like a $150 million recruitment video for more movie shoots in the Saudi desert.
If you really want to see camels, dust clouds, and top-tier actors trying their best with thin material, 'Desert Warrior' opens in theaters April 24. Otherwise, not a must-see.