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There is a subgenre of action movie that has gained a lot of popularity in recent history. These films are defined by a simple plot, a high body count, an inciting incident that gives the audience a reason to understand said high body count, a small supporting cast, and the protagonist feeling the impact of the fights they are partaking in. In recent history, films like John Wick and The Raid 2 have brought these back into the mainstream. The Princess attempts to follow this formula but deviates too far to the detriment of the viewer’s enjoyment.
The Princess follows Joey King who plays the titular princess (who is just credited as “The Princess”) who wakes up at the top of the tower after being kidnapped for marriage by Julius (Dominic Cooper). Her family (the king and queen as well as her sister Violet) have all also been abducted by Julius and his mercenaries and are being held hostage at the base of the tower. The Princess must fight her way down to the base of the tower and save herself and her family from subjugation by Julius and his team of mercenaries.
The problem with the film comes from its need to get out in front of the criticisms that tend to be inherent to female-led action movies. When one watches John Wick, the explanation that he is a retired organized crime hitman is enough to make the audience understand that he knows how to fight. The same goes for Die Hard where the fact that John McClane is a police officer is all that is needed to know about how he knows how to fight. Conversely, one only needs to look at the bellyaching to this day about Star Wars: The Force Awakens to see that female characters need a deeper explanation about how they learn to fight as apparently the time tested “she’s a scavenger living alone in a desert” is not enough to explain how she knows how to fend for herself. The Princess seemingly understands this double standard and spends an inordinate amount of time explaining how she knows how to fend for herself.
Expositing backstory in a story like this is almost always going to be to the detriment of the overall story, especially with an hour and a half runtime. Considering how barebones the plot is, in order to exposit the backstory properly, the action that is engaging the main story must be brought to a stop to change the focal point to the past. The fact that The King does not want The Princess to take the throne because she may have to go to war is not necessary to understand why she wants to get to the bottom of the tower, her not wanting to be given away as a part of a what is largely a political power agreement is more than enough. Scenes of her learning to fight is also not necessary to show her moving through the castle, especially considering it is medieval themed story and warrior princesses were not uncommon, either in fantasy or history.
That said, the action when it does happen is pretty fun and that’s all one should really be looking for in a movie like this. The cinematography and direction is great, as to be expected from Le-Van Kiet who previously directed Vietnam’s entry for Best International Feature in 2019 Furie. It clocks in at just over an hour and a half so there is not a huge time investment either. It is available to watch on Hulu included in the basic ad-supported package.
Final Rating: 7.5/10
