Joey King stars as a princess in a dire situation in the new film “The Princess” which has arrived on Hulu and on Disney + Star original outside of the U.S.
After fleeing an arranged marriage to the tyrannical Julius (Dominic Cooper), the princess is kidnapped by his forces and imprisoned in a tower to await her marriage as Julius uses his forces to take her kingdom and imprison her family.
This princess however is not a weak individual as she has had extensive combat training and uses her skills to wage an all-out assault on the waves of enemies imprisoning her with the ultimate goal of ending Julius and the threat he poses once and for all.
The action is over the top and at times brutal but does have some humor thrown in making for an enjoyable viewing experience for fans of this type of action film.
There is little in the way of character development and the plot tends to remain fairly simplistic as Director Le-Van Kiet knows that the action sequences are the centerpiece of the film and he gives audiences a dazzling selection of sequences with plenty of movement and fury to them which combines the best elements of Western and Asian action films to create a symphony of sound and action.
I was reminded in many ways of the classic Chinese martial arts films of old where the plot is usually very simplistic as well-choreographed, nimble, and creative sequences with a few surprises thrown in power the film.
It would be easy for some to cite some of the plot contradictions in the film or take issues with other aspects of it from a plot and character standpoint but King and the cast go all-in with the action and deliver sequences of intense physical action with a refreshing twist which makes “The Princess” is an engaging enough film for action fans to enjoy as long as they do so with an open mind and a wink and a nod to the shortcomings.
3 stars out of 5
