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The story follows Princess Elena, who was cursed by a witch which made her to wake up to her birthday every day. She manages to learn that if she wants to stop that, she will have to either kill the witch or find a true love. If she cannot stop, the kingdom will be doomed by a dark storm. She was protected by a magical marking, which was given her by the alchemist. She has to persuade her friends to go on a journey that will test their strength, mentality and teamwork. The journey to stop the storm will be hinted by an unlikely clue by one of her guards.
The story reveals a curse that causes the protagonist to live the same day over and over again and she manages to slowly get clues as to why that is happening. She then goes into action and tries to combat the witch, which takes a lot of tries. I like the scenes where the witch shows her potential with the power that she has, which is displayed by special effects. The camera work is very good. The shot in the final confrontation with the witch, with the camera using a tracking shot after the witch overpowers the alchemist impressed me the most. I really like the period costumes. The most standout is King Robert VIII's costume, which consists of a fur coat, a crown and other jewelry. It is fitting for a king and enhances his status. The film was shot in the Czech Republic and the sets are typical medieval settings. My favorite setting is the castle. The other stand out setting is the witch's castle, which is mysterious, dark and fits the idea of the witch. The most stand out music is that used whenever there is some form of danger imposed on the characters. There are lots of special and visual effects, such as the scenes getting the scroll, and the entire battle scene. They are believable. Princess Ellena (Natalia Germani) displays considerable amount of character growth each day, which is evident when the guards are reading a book that gives her clues of how to defeat the witch. Earlier, she does not pay attention to them but she then takes the book away from them and realizes that there is a way to break the curse. It is also evident when she faces the witch from the first to the final time. My favorite part is when the group defeats the witch after failing countless times, which is helped by the alchemist. It displays the idea that a larger group can make a seemingly impossible task become more manageable.
The message of the film is do not give up! Hard work is the only way to succeed. You should be aware that it shows kids doing risky things they might imitate. The entire fighting scenes where they are throwing knives, shooting bows and sword fighting are risky behaviors if imitated.
I give this film 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 12 to 18, plus adults. It teaches valuable lessons to both the young and the old. Reviewed by Tom W., KIDS FIRST!
In the beginning of the film, we dive into the stereotype of a beautiful princess being saved by a handsome prince. Of course, there is a wicked witch who casts a spell upon the King's daughter, such that on her 20th birthday (the day we are introduced to her story) darkness will overcome the kingdom. However, before the darkness turns black, the princess wakes up. Then, the exact same things happen in real life again, and again, and again. (reminiscent of Ground Hog Day) This is where the fun begins. The Princess begins to try different actions to see if the curse lifts. Initially, Princess Ellen is arrogant and mean, but through the many iterations of her repeating life, she begins to transform. The lessons learned are straight out of philosopher Robert Bly's playbook (i.e. Be who you are inside; be honest; ask authentic questions; listen for your truth to get into the flow of your journey and move away from cynicism and resistance.)
The production values of this film are very high quality. The fluid cinematography, the 15th century costumes, well-cast actors, period and epic music all get a hardy nod of approval. We have to thank the production crew for this. The film was produced in the Czech Republic and the original language was Czech; this version is dubbed in English so the mouths don't always match the words precisely. However, it is well executed and the dubbed voices are well chosen and executed.
I give Princess: Cursed in Time 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 10 to 18, plus adults. By Nancy Kenney KIDS FIRST!
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