THE PRINCESS: Action Packed Blunder

Upon seeing the trailer for The Princess, there was excitement for the idea of a princess making her own stand within the construct of a medieval action vehicle. And while The Princess delivers on the nonstop action it promises, it achieves this goal through predictability, poorly executed flashbacks and shallow character development.

Precise Action

The Princess feels like a fantastical adventure from the very beginning, a Gaelic-sounding score mirroring the bright and dreamy air of the sky, the camera closing in on a castle, its tower front, and center. In the first few seconds, The Princess effectively establishes the essence of a fairy tale, especially as it closes in on an open window at the top of the castle’s tower, a young and well-dressed woman asleep on the bed. There is the immediate sense of a princess locked in a tower, her white dress an indication of the upcoming wedding the trailer alludes to.

Though, as the trailer has already prepared its viewers, this princess is not your typical royal commodity, ready for battle rather than vows. As we watch the Princess (Joey King) stir awake, the chains on her wrists are our first clue to her predicament, the men coming in to check on her our second. The Princess does not wait long to dive into the action-paced direction the film is committed to maintaining. Joey King shines in these moments from beginning to end, committed and well prepared. The action scenes are stand out throughout The Princess, its choreography precise and intentional, reaching a Matrix-sequence high in its combination of angles, sweeps, and maneuvers. Yet, it is the amount that begins to fail the film.

Highs and Lows

In a movie highly dedicated to delivering nonstop action, too often the development of its characters is left in its wake. The Princess suffers from shallow characters and depth leading to little attachment. The Princess for one feels the most shallow. Flashbacks kill the pace of the film as well as becoming an empty and predictable means to create more depth in the past than in the present character right in front of us. And where the film struggles with The Princess (who isn’t even given a name beyond her title), others throughout become a means to executing its narrative structure. The King and The Queen, as well as subjects and trainers, each are strictly tools of the storytelling trade, lending the film to predictability and restrictive entertainment value.

The Princess does. at times, find its success beyond the action, its cinematography a stunning feature that encapsulates the imagery of a fairy tale. The lighting is gorgeous, with deeply contrasting colors of purple, pink and blue heightening the sense of fantasy. The Princess also gives a more realistic view of the challenges of castle life. A comedic tool in the film, one soldier, overweight and out of shape, is forced to climb to the top of the tower to check on the Princess. And while his comedic inclusion falls flat, he brings a fresh reality to castle life as he struggles to climb the stairs to reach the top of the tower. Where the action sequences and the castle layout may seem out of a fairytale, this small example of truth grounds the film in real life.

Conclusion

The Princess is a bloody, action packed adventure, that while entertaining, lacks the depth it had originally promised its viewers. Though, as much as the film missteps, I wouldn’t be surprised to see it become a potential springboard for Joey King within the action genre as she moves forward in her career.

Have you seen The Princess? What did you think? Let us know in the comments below!

The Princess premiered on Hulu on July 1, 2022!

Watch The Princess