A fact that doesn’t get nearly distributed far enough is that Lexi Alexander was the very first woman to direct a Marvel film with the ultra violent and ultra delightful Punisher: War Zone back in 2008.

With her last film being Lifted in 2010, Absolute Dominion is a most welcome return for this Palestinian-German filmmaker who I immensely admire for not only her work but also for being one of the most outspoken advocates in the entertainment industry for Palestinian rights and sovereignty.

While I have many critical issues with the film itself, the idea of it and the fact that this independent film was able to get made and finally released is something worth treasuring, and I greatly look forward to what comes next for Alexander.

In the year 2063 AD, the world faces catastrophe as zealots and extremists wage a global holy war, crumbling cities and dismantling entire countries in the name of spiritual superiority. Desperate for a solution to save humanity from itself, the world’s governing bodies vote to establish a radical new form of diplomacy called The Battle of Absolute Dominion, a fierce martial-arts tournament featuring the best fighters in the world to determine a champion whose faith will govern humanity and restore peace for the future.

It is essential to come into this film with indie expectations as the special effects, acting from most of the cast members, and tonal consistency are B-grade quality. The idea from the get-go that the martial arts tournament happens at all is because of a joke from the influencer blogger Fix Huntley (played by Patton Oswalt who is having a ball) so if you’re not on board with that, then it will be rough sailings from there. Perhaps my biggest issue with the film is that the film takes the premise very seriously without an ounce of camp or absurdity (there is one part but we’ll get into that later), which does not mesh well with the B-grade elements of everything else in the film.

When it comes to the few actors whose acting elevates the film, June Carryl is absolutely convincing in a small yet memorable role as Professor Amanda Harris, who has a thoughtful discussion with Fix about the ramifications of the world being determined by a singular religion should they be the victor of the tournament. The same compliment can be said for Andy Allo, who brings the appropriate military discipline and charisma to her character of Naya Olinga and gives so much as the wonderful counterpart to the main character Sagan Bruno (played by Désiré Mia). Olunike Adeliyi is also wonderful as Professor Sitara Bruno, mother to Sagan, and grounds the film with her warmth and strength. Basically, the Black women in this film are incredible.

One would think the fighting scenes would be the highlight of this martial arts film considering Alexander’s extensive martial arts background but don’t set your expectations too high as the entirety of the fight scenes pretty much take place in what looks like a giant gym. Because of this locked setting, the gravitas and stakes are severely muted due to the fight scenes itself feeling mundane in contrast to the dystopian futuristic setting the film takes place in.

While there are obvious visual influences of The Hunger Games present throughout, including the Caesar Flickerman-esque character of Ceylon (Alok Vaid-Menon) who is clearly acting in an entirely different film from everyone else, the indie scale of the film suffers from the ambitiousness of the setting. All of that being said, the specific attention to detail in the fight moves and procedures themselves are extremely precise and effective, which is where the fighter’s experience comes in immensely for Alexander.

The best part of the film strangely enough is actually with the aforementioned June Carryl and her one scene as the professor discussing what the world will be like if one religion were to take it over. I actually wouldn’t mind the entire film based around this one scene because this is where the core of the film’s premise lies.

One can still keep the dystopian premise of a world burned over through a third world war due to the conflict of religions but keep it tightly contained in a singular setting as the intellectual idea that Alexander presents in the film is far more interesting than the martial arts one. Considering that Alexander is also the writer, I would have loved to see this mined out further as the dialogue, ideas, and banter between Carryl and Oswalt were fantastic.

Listen, I’m just happy that Alexander has able to make a film after too long of an absence. As someone who’s been a fan of her work and her advocacy for years, I know all too well the consequences of being so outspoken, especially when it comes to speaking out about the genocide of the Palestinians in a western country and particularly our entertainment industry that wants you to be silent about it. I can only imagine the many road blocks and hurdles this film in particular had to go through to be made and distributed (especially after learning that in November 2022, Netflix and Blumhouse bowed out as distributor and producer without explanation after greenlighting this film).

As such, the film feels decidedly low budget but the passion and ideas are very much present that are worth talking about. I look at this film and see it as a good return but look forward to even more from Alexander in the near future.  

Absolute Dominion is scheduled to be released on video on demand by Giant Pictures on May 9, 2025.