The Princess, Ben Lustig and Jake Thornton, the film's screenwriters, explain how they came up with the idea for their project. The duo wanted to turn convention on its head, to dream up a story in which a princess defies society's expectations of her. Lustig, a parent, was especially interested in emphasizing the novelty of this movie in the brief conversation: “I was like, 'Okay, here are all these princess movies. But what if you were rude?’”
It seems that Mulan, Jasmine, Pocahontas, Tiana, and more recently Merida don't count. Perhaps they are not harsh and forthright enough. Maybe your adventures don't have enough action sequences. Perhaps these young women needed to be more uncompromising and intimidating. Or perhaps the lessons its stories teach were meant to be more obvious, telegraphed repeatedly, and so forceful that watching the film becomes an endurance test rather than entertainment, sort of like The Princess.
Directed by Le-Van Kiet and written by Lustig and Thornton, the Hulu film reflects society's depressing approach to inspiring young men to value women. The princess seems to equate being tough with revenge and restoring old orders (but this time with a woman in charge). Other principles make cameo appearances - intelligence as measured by one's ability to imagine, a confident sense of ethics and a commitment to community - but they don't get as much attention as bloody duels.
It's a shame, because the protagonist who is probably played by Joey King (The Kissing Booth, The Act) seems like an interesting person. We meet her early in the morning, just as she wakes up to find herself trapped in the tower of her father's kingdom. She is wearing a white wedding dress and her hands are chained. How did she get here? What's going on?
Before the Princess can properly assess her situation, she must fend off a pair of guards sent to control her. A bloody fight sequence unfolds as the smart and light-footed princess jumps, kicks and slides across the room. Although for a moment the situation seems complicated, she defeats her opponents. Now she has to find out how she ended up in this situation.
The Princess is a straightforward narrative, with an impressively tight time frame (it takes place over a day in one area of the kingdom) and action sequences. These limitations are a boon to the film; Action-seeking viewers can enjoy watching our leading lady hone her skills and outmatch her opponents. Kiet stages the fight scenes to maximize her impact: we see the Princess hit and throw objects from different angles, showing her physical grace and intelligence. The princess is a Disney Arya Stark.
The actual plot is less interesting. As she sneaks through the tower, which she has been seized by the man she refused to marry, she pieces together what is happening. Her fiancé Julius (Dominic Cooper) was offended by the princess's rejection. Outraged that she would defy tradition, he decides to seize the castle, take her family hostage, and force himself on her. If anything, The Princess is a more confident analysis of how men are socialized to feel entitled, to regard women as property, and to behave insanely in response to any perceived disrespect. Her behavior is frightening, but not unheard of.
The princess has less than 24 hours to save herself, her family and her kingdom. Lustig and Thornton's narrative parameters raise the stakes of their run-of-the-mill story. As our protagonist walks in and out of the different rooms and floors of the palace, she reflects on memories. These sequences, shown to us in flashback, complete the story and add the necessary background context. The Princess, we are told in more ways than one, had a non-traditional upbringing, honing her interest in sword fighting with her mentor Linh (Veronica Ngo) while she took etiquette classes.
Watch The Princess 2022 Movie Trailer
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