Every character in the film is given a name, except for its supposed heroine who is just “The Princess.” Many well-meaning writers presume that by opting not to name their female protagonists, they are somehow calling attention to and underscoring the importance of a name. It’s clear that Ben Lustig and Jake Thornton think that their script is some “go get ‘em girls” feminism power fantasy, but at every turn, it is a weak imitation of what this story could have been. On top of that, they’re perfect, unflawed characters, that make no mistakes, which makes it hard to fight against the loathsome notion of “Mary Sues.” After last year’s trite “girlbossification” of Cinderella, Hulu has decided to dip its toe into the waters of “I’m no damsel” with their action-packed and aimless feature The Princess, starring Joey King. The options are limited to badass or romantic interest, whereas men can contain multitudes. This new era of female characters often shirk the ideas of romance and marriage-telegraphing this idea that women can’t be strong and also want love.

After decades of moviegoers begging studios to create female characters that were afforded the same well-rounded storytelling as their masculine counterparts, Hollywood finally answered the call by creating the caricature of personality that is now known as a “strong female character.” These characters don’t necessarily seek to defy the binary in any meaningful way they still actively lean into the stereotypes that have grated on nerves for years.

Heroine full movie part 2