A “golden age” of a film genre usually refers to a time when the most nostalgic and poignant of works were created. However, when citing the fantasy category the revered films can often doppelganger as its worst. No decade hosts more of these films than the 1980’s, especially those having to do with a quest, and even more specific, a quest to find a magical weapon that is the only hope in the entire land capable of destroying the evil which threatens it.
Unfortunately, or fortunately, films cut from this cloth such as The Beastmaster (1982), Highlander (1986) and perhaps most often reminisced, Krull (1983), were weaned out of Hollywood throughout the ‘90s. The genre remained essentially dormant until 2001 when Peter Jackson decided to raise expectations to such a colossal height with The Lord of the Rings trilogy that the low-budget, flimsy-story, fun fantasy film was pretty much slain forever. Luckily though for fans, forever in Hollywood only lasts until someone can come up with a new idea to turn a profit, enter Danny McBride and Ben Best (writers, The Foot Fist Way, Eastbound and Down).
Avid fans of the “quest” films as they grew up in the ‘80s, the duo decided to revive the genre by injecting their very distinct and popular brand of humor. The result is Your Highness, the prototypical quest/adventure following the brave and noble Prince Fabious’ (James Franco, 127 Hours) journey to obtain a sacred sword and save his would-be princess from the clutches of an evil sorcerer who wants to rule the kingdom for no intensive purposes. Except what makes this quest different from all the rest is the addition of the noble prince’s incredibly crass and cowardly brother Prince Thadeous (Danny McBride, Eastbound and Down), commenting on the absurdities of their situations by using modern day expletives, references to marijuana, and sexual innuendos.
For Prince Thadeous, McBride utilizes the same crassness of his Kenny Powers character from the HBO series Eastbound and Down. The modern day expletives coupled with poor comprehension of medieval times dialect and pseudo English accents makes for some very funny and jarring dialogue. Unfortunately, it seemed that the script was overly cautious about using this device, leaving too many lulls in between big laughs and sometimes forgetting that it’s supposed to be a comedy. Actually, Your Highness so fantastically references and parodies the “quest” films from the ‘80s that it might even be considered a detriment. Void the comedic dialogue and sight gags altogether, and the film would have easily fitted right in during the genre’s heyday. Even sadder and/or funnier, it would have been one of the better films as well.
Another component that was underused is the comedic talents of James Franco and Natalie Portman. Other than his character’s name, Franco’s Prince Fabious does not elicit many laughs as he plays the straight man to McBride for most of the film. And Portman, who plays Isabel, a femme fatal who is the last of her people and on constant quests of revenge, also has less than a handful of jokes at her disposal. It’s disappointing that these two very decorated actors who have proven their substantial comedy prowess in previous works were not given the chance be more of a factor when executing humorous dialogue.
The one character in the film that does manage to balance the comedic weight with McBride is the cleverly designed villain Leezar, played brilliantly by Justin Theroux (Parks and Recreations). Leezar is every evil sorcerer from every fantasy film ever created but unlike his counterparts, he his not aloof about his grand plans or his intention to control a dragon simply for the power to burn things.
Even though this film was written by McBride and Best, director David Gordon Green (Pineapple Express, 2008) is on record saying that a script was never used on set, only a plot outline and written notes. Unfortunately for Your Highness, this fact is very evident. Improvisation only shines when the audience is not aware of it, a la Curb Your Enthusiasm. Much of the improvised comedy that might have accomplished big laughs during filming seems to have fallen flat in the finished product.
Your Highness had the talent on set to be a much funnier film than it turned out, but it’s still a very well made homage to the classically bad fantasy films of the 80’s and even displayed some impressive and unexpected special effects that would cause creators of its predecessors to weep. The visual parody of the characters combined with the hilarious, and sometimes uncomfortable, sight gags manage to fill in some of the dead areas in the story, ultimately giving Your Highness the tools it needs to complete a quest of inducing just enough laughter from its audience.
Story: 5.5
Acting: 7.5
Writing: 6.5
Captivation: 7.0
Replay Value: 7.0
Total = 6.7
