Christmas movies are one of Netflix’s biggest hits, and “The Princess Switch” is not an exception. The first one was huge, making many fans excited for the return of Vanessa Hudgens, our eternal Gabriella Montez (“High School Musical”), to a mainstream big role.
The first film is inspired by the fable “The Prince and the Beggar”, written by Mark Twain in 1881, which already inspired other works – such as the children’s film “Barbie: The Princess and the Plebeian”, part of many people’s childhood.
“The Princess Switch: Switched Again” goes against the Fairy Tale Ending – it shows that things don’t always end well. Stacy, the plebeian, married her prince charming (Sam Palladio), but Princess Margaret did not have the same happy ending – she ended her relationship with her former boyfriend, Kevin (Nick Sagar).
So, in order to try to conquer her Happily Ever After, the monarch trades life with Stacy again, imagining that this action will allow her to have a definitive conversation with her great love. But, like in every movie, there’s a plot twist: they both are faced with a third lookalike, Lady Fiona, Margaret’s arrogant cousin who plans to take her place.
It’s a film made to be watched as a hobby, that doesn’t require complete and total attention – like “The Irishman”, by Martin Scorsese, for example. I am not saying that one is better than the other, but that it is two different proposals. It is a light film, full of cliches – but if we are being honest, if they weren’t good they wouldn’t have become cliches. It is perfect for watching unpretentiously on a rainy afternoon or after a long day of work.
The film goes well thanks to Vanessa Hudgens’ amazing performance – you can clearly see the change of posture, expressions, speech and even glances when she’s playing each character – Fiona, for example, pulls all kinds of faces, which doesn’t happen with Margaret and Stacy.
But, since not everything is a bed of roses, the film may not please all fans – some critics have already commented that “The Princess Switch: Switched Again” takes advantage of the momentum of the first, but does not return with the same humour and development of the first production – many problems end up being solved by a Christmas Miracle, giving the impression that the production had to be finished in a hurry.
It’s up to you to watch it and come to a conclusion about the second film of the franchise – which will have a third movie, obviously starring Vanessa Hudgens, that is set to be released during the 2021 holiday season, according to Netflix. “The Princess Switch: Switched Again” is available on the streaming platform, being a great choice for this end of semester.
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The article above was edited by Laura Okida.
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