THIS PRINCESS IS A FROG
"Not exactly ladylike behavior". No kidding. A lady that kills people demonstrating some serious Van Dammage.
Anyway, 2022's The Princess is directed by Le-Van Kiet. Le-Van obviously wanted to bypass any dramatic elements and go straight for the action-packed jugular. How annoying. "Princess" is basically action scene then payoff, action scene then payoff, action scene then payoff. It's like one long reel possibly shown at dailies.
So OK, The Princess is about a martial arts-loving princess who refuses to wed an evil suitor who's bent on taking her father's throne. It's basically the type of pic Ridley Scott would do on a dare. Joey King plays The Princess while Dominic Cooper plays said suitor Julius. Cooper as usual channels a creep (it's in his comfort zone) and King is reduced to a female Scott Adkins with constant fist fight sequences that never seem to let up. The whole time I watched The Princess I was wondering if King was auditioning to appear in the next Expendables flick. Exhausting and humdrum I tell you.
The Princess is modern-day schlock spliced with medieval times. Oh brother. I mean what made director Kiet think that this genre mesh would be anything a critic would recommend (not this one I assure you). The film is also nearly a spoof, with unintentional humor and side characters that are heinous just for kicks-and-giggles. The worst part is that "Princess" has a plot that is so vague, a sort of excuse for people to brawl and show off their mad, judo skills.
All in all, I kinda wish The Princess had a more Flowers in the Attic vibe to it. Sigh for that. Personas grapple and then grapple again, not establishing any original set piece or true setup. Watching "Princess" is like viewing a 10-minute YouTube video on the art of self-defense. Heck, I lost interest. I had time to leave the room and "tinkle".
Written by Jesse Burleson
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