It feels cruel that we haven't seen much of Lupita Nyong'o on the big screen since she won an Academy Award for her first film role in '12 Years A Slave', but it's worth the long wait to see her in her latest venture, Disney's 'Queen Of Katwe'.

Madina Nalwanga and Lupita Nyong'oMadina Nalwanga and Lupita Nyong'o star in 'Queen Of Katwe'

She's yet to grace the screen with a leading part, but her supporting role in this film about Ugandan chess champion Phiona Mutesi is star quality. She plays Phiona's firm but affectionate mother Nakku Harriet, while Phiona is played by newcomer Madina Nalwanga.

The story follows a 10-year-old Phiona as her life changes through the discovery of chess. She goes from a desperately poor Ugandan child to a worldwide chess extraordinaire. But great success proves to have it's own share of problems that she must overcome in order to provide a better life for her family.

David Oyelowo is also in the movie as chess tutor Robert Katende, but it's Lupita who steals the show as this poverty-stricken single mother with four mouths to feed.

Watch the trailer for 'Queen of Katwe':


 

'If there's any justice, this will remind people what a fine actor she is, and we'll see a lot more of her', said the The Guardian, describing her performance as 'full-fledged [and] richly detailed'.

The Evening Standard described how Lupita made her character 'central to the drama', and Empire spoke about how she gave her 'a determination that always seems one more misfortune from shattering'. Meanwhile, the Independent described her work as as the best she's done, despite her critical acclaim for '12 Years A Slave'. 'If you thought she was only good at taking lashes as a slave girl, you need to see her interpretation of a mother with nothing to give, yet willing to die trying', they wrote.

'Queen Of Katwe' is released in cinemas today (October 21st 2016).