Watch now:

Medusa: Stone Heart does not merely retell a myth; it performs a radical act of reclamation, transforming one of history’s most vilified monsters into a poignant, devastatingly human tragedy. The film’s brilliance lies in its unflinching focus on the woman before the curse. Angelina Jolie delivers a career-defining performance as the young, devout Medusa, her radiant faith and innocence making her subsequent violation and divine betrayal all the more harrowing. The film handles this pivotal moment with a raw, respectful gravity that frames it not as a mythical footnote, but as a catastrophic act of violence that shatters a world.

The casting of the gods is inspired. Pedro Pascal’s Poseidon is a portrait of smug, entitled divinity, a god who sees devotion as an entitlement. Anya Taylor-Joy’s Athena is chilling—a deity of cold, calculated logic and bitter jealousy whose “justice” is a punishment far more cruel than any mortal could conceive. Their roles reframe Medusa’s curse not as a random monster-making, but as a systemic failure of the very powers meant to protect the innocent. The film’s visual language is breathtaking, contrasting the sun-drenched marble of Athens with the haunting, mist-shrouded beauty of Medusa’s island prison, where her stone “army” stands as silent, tragic monuments to her solitude and pain.

This is not an action film, but a profound character study and a searing indictment of the stories we tell. The climax, a sacrifice born of shattered love and desperate protection, is emotionally devastating. With a 9.5/10, Stone Heart is a landmark. It is a powerful, beautifully crafted, and intellectually provocative epic that challenges centuries of patriarchal narrative, offering not a monster to be slain, but a broken heart to be mourned. It is a masterpiece of tragic cinema.

Other movies: