Barbarian Princess plods

Kilcher elegant, but Hawaiian costume drama plods

TITLE ROLE:  Good actress is still waiting for the right movie to come along.

By Mike Dunham Kilcher's unique and exotic face (startlingly similar to the historical Ka'iulani, despite her German-born Swiss, Alaskan and Peruvian roots) is something one could stare at all day long, particularly when animated by her nuanced and lively expressions.

The character's emotional shifts are bare yet credible. One gets the impression that here is a good actress waiting for the right role.

"Barbarian Princess" might have been that role, but it isn't. Previous reviews have called the script "clunky."

I found it slow. How slow? Well, about 30 minutes into the thing I took a shower and left the DVD running. I returned after drying off and found the plot was right where I'd left it.Comment:  I wasn't impressed with the trailer, so I'm glad to hear the movie wasn't impressive either. It's good when a trailer accurately conveys a movie's essence.

Marc Forby has been working on this movie for years, but still he can't do better than "clunky"? Call me if you need a script doctor, people.

Of course, casting Kilcher as a Hawaiian and calling the movie Barbarian Princess are still unfortunate moves. I gather Kilcher's portrayal isn't a problem, but maybe a Hawaiian actress could've done even better.

For more on the subject, see Hawaiians Criticize "Barbarian" Movie and Q'orianka's Hawaiian Epic.