“The King’s Daughter” is the sort of fantasy adventure that the Walden Media Company would’ve loved to have been a part of. There’s a sense of whimsy speckled throughout, complete with religious underpinnings, but overall it assembles all the tools to tell its story without leaving an indelible impression by the end.
Pierce Brosnan stars as King Louis XIV of France, who is in search of the fabled Lost City of Atlantis, which can bring about immortality to anyone who finds it. We know this because narrator Julie Andrews tells us this, which sets the plot into motion.
Benjamin Walker costars as a sailor who captures a mystical mermaid (Fan Bingbing, currently starring in “The 355”), and he shows up in France to unwillingly assist King Louis to Atlantis so he can find it. William Hurt also costars as King Louis’ priest, and he’s perhaps the only character in the movie for which we have any kind of rooting interest, but the movie should’ve done more instead of just being a not-so-subtle deus ex machina. Kaya Scodelario plays a young woman who encounters King Louis and when they meet, he reveals a connection that only further amplifies his desire to find Atlantis. This revelation is just one of the many plot developments we can see coming a mile away, and we know how it will end. “The King’s Daughter” is one of those movies in which you can see talent in front of the camera being wasted due to a dull, cheesy and predictable script. A lot of attention was paid to the production and costume designs, which look either artificial or campy. Plus, speaking of those plot developments, one thought kept coming up in my mind: This is 17th century France, and yet the filmmakers insist on all the characters using British accents instead of, you know, French.
As for the special effects, they’re something that would’ve played out much better if this were something released directly to Netflix instead of theaters.
I would’ve preferred more originality and less structure in its execution. I have a feeling the intended audience for this will probably be seeing “Spider- Man: No Way Home” again.
Grade: C-
(Rated PG for some violence, suggestive material and thematic elements.)