Imprisoned for an arranged marriage with an evil nobleman (Dominic Cooper), the Princess (Joey King) has to draw on her warrior skills to escape her tower prison and save her family.
Released on Hulu, The Princess is my kind of genre movie. I am a fan of action movies and thrillers that take place in a confined location. I also like genre fare that is stripped down to the essentials. It is also 94 minutes long.
This is a very simple movie.
It is so simple and narrow in focus, I am not sure it would work on the big screen. But on its own terms, The Princess is a fun time.
Joey King is great in the lead - she brings a convincing physicality and some real emotional weight that adds to the stakes.
With its minimal dialogue, the movie feels more like a silent movie, and, King, with her large eyes and open face, feels like a silent movie performer - the movie lives and dies on her performance, and she conveys a lot without saying anything.
The movie is directed with a cheerful focus on narrative and spatial economy. There are some visual effects work but most of it is exteriors and backgrounds. I have seen some criticism of them but for me the slightly fuzzy environments and sky added to the sense that this takes place in a fairy tale setting.
Director Le-Van Kiet is most well-known for Furie, a solid action film starring Veronica Ngo.
Ngo appears here as the Princess’s mentor and friend Lin - she gets some great showcase moments, but not as many as Furie. I didn't love that movie but she is worth seeing it for.
The best thing about The Princess is its confidence in its concept - there are no jokes poking fun at the scenario or the fairytale trappings.
It also has such a strong handle on what the movie is, that the filmmakers are willing to give up some potential standout scenes. The biggest example of this is that it cuts away from the fight between Ngo and Olga Kurylenko’s whip-yielding henchwoman, Moira.
The cast are all solid, but this is a movie about momentum and action. The best I can say is that they all buy in and play it earnestly.
Because the scenario is so slight, pacing is important. To its credit, every time it feels like the action is about to get repetitive, a new variable or environment is introduced that keeps the story moving.
If The Princess has a weakness, it is a familiar one - the third act is a bit rote and the final fight is not the best one. To its credit, that fight is very brief.
Overall, The Princess is an enjoyable programmer and shows that mid-level genre movies are out there. Hopefully it is also an entree for Joey King and Veronica Ngo as action stars.
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