The Princess (2022 Hulu Movie) Review

The Princess has some truly incredible action sequences from Joey King and Veronica Ngo. Dominic Cooper is great, but the girls steal the show.

It is always empowering to see strong female characters kicking some serious butt on the screen, and that is exactly what The Princess delivers. Joey King and Veronica Ngo star in this action packed fight to the death, when a princess is promised to a man in order to save the kingdom and well, she doesn’t take too kindly to it.

Instead of bowing to the conformities of the time, she stands up for herself. This results in her kidnapping and it quickly becomes clear that she needs to take down the man she is betrothed to, and his guard, if she wants to live her own life.

Joey King plays the princess and she comes out guns, well arrows and swords, blazing. Right from the start this movie is jam packed with action, and it continues that way through the entire 90 minutes. The little snippets of dialogue and story that viewers do get, is very much overshadowed by the massive battle sequences, and this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. 

The thin plot that is there, isn’t anything new. Not really. We have all seen this story before, so the beauty in this film is the blood, action, and fight choreography. Don’t get me wrong, it is an important lesson about sticking up for yourself and living the life you want to live, not the one that others tell you you must.

There will never be enough stories about strong female characters who can kick some serious butt when pushed to do so, but it isn’t exactly groundbreaking either. Combining it with this style of fighting — and so much of it — that is where the freshness of The Princess comes in.

The man that the princess is betrothed to is played by Dominic Cooper, a fantastic actor who normally steals every scene he is in, but is overshadowed by the females here. That isn’t to say he’s not good in this film, because he is. However his role feels quite minimal overall and it is the ladies that show him up around every corner.

Not just King and Ngo, but the woman who is on his side as well. All three of these ladies do not hold back when it comes to fighting. The longer the movie goes on, the more blood they spill, and the more blood ends up on them. 

There is one shot in particular, that takes place in a forest and is a flashback scene, that is visually stunning. It is a gorgeous scene and certainly one of the best parts of the film. The wide shots make it something truly special, and it also adds to the backstory of the relationship between these two women. Easily the most important story part of The Princess.

Related: Joey King Discusses Getting Her Hands Dirty In The Princess

In order to avoid spoilers, we won’t go into too much detail, however, The Princess’ biggest issue is just how predictable it is. Luckily, it is just an hour and a half long, and makes the story itself take a backseat to the action. This saves it in a way, and makes it much more entertaining than if the majority was spent on the dialogue and plot.

With a very minimal cast one pretty much just one setting for the movie, it seems quite clear this was a pandemic movie. The budget seems to have been all spent on the medieval costumes and the choreographers and trainers, but that pays off in the long run. 

The Princess isn’t a great movie, but it is a lot of fun. For those who like epic hand to hand action sequences that aren’t overwhelmed by special effects, this one is for you. Dominic Cooper is fine in his role, but isn’t as much of a main character as one might expect. Joey King is the lead here, and that is very clear from the start. She is willing to do anything to not conform, and boy is it fun watching her do it. 

When King teams up with Ngo, they kick some serious butt. A female empowerment movie hidden under the surface of a medieval blood fest, The Princess is entertaining, if nothing else. Thanks to the short runtime, fast past, and focus on the action, it will fly by. 

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

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About The Princess

A Hulu Original, “The Princess” is an action-packed fight to the death set in a fairy tale world directed by Le-Van Kiet (“Furie”) and starring Emmy Award® nominee Joey King (“The Act,” “The Kissing Booth”) as a skilled and formidable young royal.

When a beautiful, strong-willed princess refuses to wed the cruel sociopath to whom she is betrothed, she is kidnapped and locked in a remote tower of her father’s castle. With her scorned, vindictive suitor intent on taking her father’s throne, the princess must protect her family and save the kingdom.

The film also stars Dominic Cooper (“Preacher”), Olga Kurylenko (“Black Widow”) and Veronica Ngo (“The Old Guard”). Directed by Le-Van Kiet (“Furie”) and written by Ben Lustig & Jake Thornton (“Winter’s Knight,” “Final Fantasy”), “The Princess” is produced by Neal H. Moritz (the “Fast and Furious” franchise), Toby Jaffe (“Total Recall”) and Derek Kolstad (“John Wick”), with Joey King and Guy Riedel serving as executive producers.

The Princess is now streaming on Hulu.