MOVIE REVIEWS

Good watch, could watch again, but can't recommend unless you just really liked the first one. Of all the boring premises, a legal requirement is a really boring choice. Forcing a marriage is not only not relatable for America (Mia's country of origin), but also not exciting to watch Anne Hatheway reject guys and have to settle. And all the while they ignore the obvious solution. There is a lot of fun with the idea of a American princess just having fun with a lot of resources, and touching bits with her using her power for good. Sadly, again, the movie doesn't feel like it does anything special, despite all the "pizazz" they layer on. Again, it's good, but it is weaker than the original, and unless you have the background of that movie, you're not missing anything by skipping this one.

Just as slow as the original, but I'd argue it's a better film overall. There isn't much between the two films, I admit. However, I found <em>'The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement'</em> more enjoyable than <em>'The Princess Diaries'</em>. The plot is probably just as interesting, but there's less cringe in this one and the villains are a big improvement. Anne Hathaway (Mia) is very good once more, while Julie Andrews (Clarisse) does solid things again. John Rhys-Davies (Mabrey) and Chris Pine (Nicholas) are top additions, great casting on the latter by the way given it's Pine's feature film debut. I also said in my review of the 2001 film that I don't like fictional places in live-action, non-fantasy productions. That's still the case here, but I didn't actually mind it all that much to be honest. "Genovia" is way more believable here, thanks to us actually getting to see it for real - as opposed to it just being referenced. As noted, there are still a few cringey moments and it does run too long. There are some sweets parts, though. It's also kinda weird that, technically, Mia and Nicholas are related; a number of generations back sure, but still... A sequel that (minorly) improves on its predecessor, that's always a positive in my book.