“The Princess” Turns Damsel in Distress Narrative on its Head -Movie Review
Directed by Le-Van Kiet, The Princess offers a fresh perspective of a fairytale. The Princess (Joey King) finds out that she must marry a prince to save her kingdom. When she refuses to wed the prince, she is kidnapped and locked in a tower. The Prince (Dominic Cooper) is hell-bent on taking over the kingdom but will the Princess come to rescue her kingdom and her family?
Here’s the scoop on The Princess!
A Powerful Princess

From the beginning of the film, we can already conclude that the Princess has a few skills up her sleeves. When she manages to escape the room she was locked up in, the audience gets a glimpse of her personality as one who will not stand idly by while her kingdom falls apart. When making her way to the bold tyrant who is her suitor, she refuses to let anyone get in her way even when an army of men are up against her.
The action-packed scenes become the pinnacle of the film with the title of ‘Princess’ fading away to make room for ‘warrior’ instead. As she fights her way through the enemies taking over the kingdom, she slowly loses momentum as a relentless fighter. However, her energy is brought back by the realization that she could lose her loved ones to Prince Julius’ hands.
The Princess pushes back on fairytales that depict the images of the damsel in distress relying on the Prince to come to rescue her from the tower. Instead of being controlled by a villain, The Princess takes matters into her own hands. This Hulu film also sheds light on a prince who has ill intentions of taking over the kingdom which very well mirrors the concept in Frozen.
Family is Everything

The Princess openly rejects the control of the Prince by enlightening the audience that her place resides among the knights. However, she is forced to come to terms with her wretched fate when Julius has her family held captive. If any other damsel in distress manages to find themselves with the same fate, they would immediately sacrifice themselves for their family. But Joey King’s version of ‘The Princess’ is far riskier with the hopes of redeeming herself in the end.
Just when we think she will submit to the Prince, her martial arts kick back into gear. The Princess is often drawn back to earlier scenes where she is fighting Lin with the skills she has acquired through training. Even though Lin and her father are not her direct family, we can clearly see their close-knit bonds that help give the Princess strength. But will it be enough to take back her kingdom?
Final Thoughts

Even though The Princess is a movie that is far from the typical fairytale, the presentation of a Princess fighting for her kingdom is exactly what the world has been waiting for. The violent scenes stretch from beginning to end, never seeming to lighten up. But one thing for sure is that we can’t get enough of Joey King channeling her inner warrior.
Watch The Princess on Hulu on July 1st!
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