When a strong-willed princess refuses to wed the cruel sociopath, she is kidnapped and locked in a remote tower of her father’s castle. With her vindictive suitor intent on taking her father’s throne, the princess must save the kingdom.
You could be a king, but watch the queen conquer … or in this case, the Princess. Quite literally.
The trailer for The Princess has been out for a minute, but with the premiere of this Hulu exclusive on July 1st, anticipation is mounting for this action fantasy starring Joey King as the titular princess in question. Beginning like a typical fairy tale, we see this fair maiden chained and imprisoned as a voice over shares her sad story.
Then comes the twist – again, literally, as a fight breaks out that results in at least one evil henchman in that magical castle tower having his neck broken by the princess in question.
The movie appears to be played fairly straight as fantasy films go, with Julius (Dominic Cooper) as the overconfident villain hell bent on winning King’s hand in marriage through all manner of nefarious means. Ready to take over and claim power for himself, it’s up to the princess to save not just herself, but the entire kingdom from his clutches.
What’s fresh in this trailer are several modern comedy beats that evoke a delightful echo of films like A Knight’s Tale. The pairing of straight medieval fantasy with modern music, beautifully adapted story beats and references, as well as the expected twist on existing tropes for the genre makes promises of a film that proves a worthy successor to the Heath Ledger-fronted classic. That this movie features a fairy tale princess not only saving herself, but raising holy hell while she does it is just icing on the cake.
Most importantly, and in this reporter’s opinion the most endearing part of this trailer, this doesn’t appear to be a case of a rebellious independent woman who doesn’t need a man. We see a young girl with her wedding dress in tatters, heaping boots and weapons atop it as she goes along. We see dirt and tears, fear and preparation alongside compatriot and combat teacher Lin (Veronica Ngo). This might not be the case of a strong female protagonist, but a traditional female protagonist learning to be strong, and that’s a vitally important feminist message in and of itself.
Not every female hero has to be one that thrives on adversity and conquers her domain. Even if you’re a girly girl, even if you’re the princess looking for happily ever after, when life throws a wrench in the works and you have to rise to the occasion, you can. Sometimes, all you can do is adapt and survive, and that, too, is okay.
Some queens are warriors. Others are just grown up princesses. All of them are equally valid.
Are you looking forward to this movie? What did you think of the trailer? Let us know in the comments below.
The Princess stars Joey King, Dominic Cooper, Veronica Ngo. Directed by Le-Van Kiet, the film releases on Hulu on July 1st.
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Liz Carlie (she/her/he/him) is a regular book, TV, and film reviewer for SCIFI.radio and has previously been a guest on 'The Event Horizon'. In addition to being an active member of the traditional fandom community, she's also an active participant in online fan culture, pro wrestling journalism, and spreading the gospel of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. She resides in Southern California with her aspiring superhero dog, Junior, enjoying life one hyperfixation at a time.
“Some queens are warriors. Others are just grown up princesses. All of them are equally valid.”
Thank you for that!
I’ve grown weary of the “women are supposed to be this way” changing years later to “No, women are now supposed to be this way.” There’s no universally recognized document stating what women, or men, or girls, or boys, etc., are supposed to be.
Ricky Nelson’s song “Garden Party” was released 50 years ago as of next month. But this lyric is just as true today as it was then:
“You see, ya can’t please everyone, so ya got to please yourself.”