Peter Debruge Chief Film CriticIn frilly YA frivol “The King’s Daughter,” Louis XIV (an awkwardly bewigged Pierce Brosnan) orders a mermaid captured and brought back to Versailles, so that he might sacrifice the creature during a solar eclipse and attain eternal life, it takes just a few minutes for such an amazing feat to be accomplished.
But haste is hardly the order of the day with this quasi-historic fairy tale, which follows that thrilling opening with royal balls and cross-country horseback rides, courtly intrigue and plentiful costume changes — a girly dream of the French monarchy, for which would-be audiences have been obliged to wait a quarter-century.The well-liked book on which it’s based, Vonda N.
McIntyre’s “The Moon and the Sun,” was published in 1997, and discussions began almost immediately about an adaptation. The film focuses largely on what happens after the mermaid reaches France, and the Sun King (played by Brosnan with nary so much as an attempt at a French accent) sends for his illegitimate daughter, Marie-Josèphe (Kaya Scodelario), who identifies with the mermaid and lobbies her father for its release.
The rest is told largely from the young woman’s perspective, as she takes a courageous stand — inspiring yet incredible — against her father, and the patriarchy as a whole.
Read more on variety.com