After sitting on a shelf and shuffled around to various studios for 7 years, The King’s Daughter finds its way to Blu-ray courtesy of Universal.
The Production: 2.5/5
If you were to Google The King’s Daughter, you would find a story infinitely more interesting than the one told in this movie that had been placed on a shelf a mere three weeks before its scheduled release, and sat there for the next seven years, the US distribution rights bouncing from Paramount and Arclight, eventually landing at Gravitas Ventures (with home video going to Universal). After earning only $1.8 million at the box office against a budget of $40 million, the film now arrives on Blu-ray from Universal.
Based on the Nebula award-winning novel The Moon and the Sun by Vonda McIntyre published in 1997, The King’s Daughter tells the story of King Louis XIV of France (Pierce Brosnan) and his attempt to capture a live mermaid to be sacrificed during the solar eclipse so that he can become immortal and rule France forever. Having tired of the court composer, the king sends for a commoner, Marie-Josephe (Kaya Scodelario), to take his place. Unbeknownst to anyone but the king and his religious adviser, Père De La Chaise (William Hurt, in his final role), Marie-Josephe is the king’s illegitimate daughter. Shortly after she arrives, it appears she has some sort of connection to the mermaid (Bingbing Fan), as her music seems to be a form of communication between them. When the king’s plans are discovered, Marie-Josephe must find a way to free the mermaid before the eclipse.
There is a bit more to the overall plot, but does it really matter? The screenplay by Barry Berman (Benny & Joon) and James Shamus (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) dispenses with a lot of information, much of it rather confusing, and the movie never really finds its tone under director Sean McNamara (Cats & Dogs 3: Paws Unite). Brosnan plays the part of King Louis XIV way too straight for a fantasy film of this type, and the rest of the cast often seem to be going through the motions, not sure what their character is supposed to be doing in a given scene. And one must feel bad for William Hurt, with The King’s Daughter being his final film role (odd that this happens more often than one would think). It was rumored that what had held this movie up for so many years was its unfinished visual effects, and unfortunately, the effects still appear unfinished. Digital matte paintings are extremely obvious, as are most green screen shots, and the mermaid looks more like a visual effect reject from Avatar.
Video: 3.5/5
3D Rating: NA
The King’s Daughter arrives on Blu-ray in a lackluster 1080p AVC-encoded transfer, but it could very well be the source that is to blame, as the movie was captured (back in 2014) in 2.8k resolution on Arri Alexa XT cameras and completed more recently as a 2K digital intermediate in the 2.39:1 aspect ratio. For a period piece, the image never manages to really pop. While many shots have acceptable fine detail (such as fabric textures), many are quite soft (again, this could be the source, as the movie was shot with Hawk and Vantage lenses rather than Arri or Panavision). Darker sequences are rather murky. Overall, the image is about as unremarkable as the film itself.
Audio: 4/5
The movie does fare a bit better in the sound department with its lone DTS-HD MA 5.1 track. This is a fairly straightforward 5.1 mix, with very good fidelity overall. Surrounds are used effectively, adding some dimensionality such as fireworks. LFE is also decent, but not great, providing a deeper end to music and effects. Dialogue is clear and understandable.
Special Features: 1/5
Deleted Scene (1080p; 1:40): A bit too modern extension to the dance sequence.
Cast Reflections on “The King’s Daughter” (1080p; 8:24): Members of the cast along with director Sean McNamara discuss how wonderful and remarkable the film is.
Digital Copy: An insert contains a code to redeem a digital copy on Movies Anywhere.
Overall: 3/5
The King’s Daughter is a rather unremarkable film, plagued by poor direction and writing.
Todd Erwin has been a reviewer at Home Theater Forum since 2008. His love of movies began as a young child, first showing Super 8 movies in his backyard during the summer to friends and neighbors at age 10. He also received his first movie camera that year, a hand-crank Wollensak 8mm with three fixed lenses. In 1980, he graduated to "talkies" with his award-winning short The Ape-Man, followed by the cult favorite The Adventures of Terrific Man two years later. Other films include Myth or Fact: The Talbert Terror and Warren's Revenge (which is currently being restored). In addition to movie reviews, Todd has written many articles for Home Theater Forum centering mostly on streaming as well as an occasional hardware review, is the host of his own video podcast Streaming News & Views on YouTube and is a frequent guest on the Home Theater United podcast.
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