DVD Talk review of 'Palace a.k.a. Princess Hours (MBC TV Series)'
01-29-07, 03:40 PM
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DVD Talk review of 'Palace a.k.a. Princess Hours (MBC TV Series)'
I read Jeffrey Robinson's DVD review of Palace a.k.a. Princess Hours (MBC TV Series) at http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/read.php?ID=25981 and...
If you've seen one K-Drama, you've seen them all.
That sums up the problem with K-dramas. The producers said that it was hard to make a show based on a graphic novel that hadn't been finished yet. It doesn't seem that they struggled that hard with the challenge. The Palace is just a mindless regurgitation of K-drama cliches that should have been put out to pasture years ago. Here is the premise of this show. Boy loves girl, girl rejects boy so boy gets involved with another girl that he doesn't really like. The first girl then decides that she made a mistake so she tries to get back with the boy. The boy finds himself pulled between his first love and the new girl (because she is cute and good natured). The cute girl leaves the country (to study abroad or for business) and the boy realizes how much he loves her. Sound familiar? It should, it is the exact same plot of every single romantic K-drama that has been released in the last decade (and maybe longer).
When The Palace started I thought it would be different.The costumes and sets are gorgeous and the directing style riffs on anime style. But, within a few episodes, the lavish production can't hide the fact that there is nothing new here. Even worse, all the digital trickery of the first few episodes completely disappears.
Here is a breakdown of how a typical episode works. Character meets character and they talk. Next scene of characters sitting and talking. More characters talking while riding in a car. Characters talk while they eat. And finally, characters talk some more. Nothing is ever implied which can be stated. When characters are alone, they talk too. Throw in some tissue thin villians (a vengeful ex-crown princess and her "too pretty to be a boy" ex-prince) and much ado about a retroactive enthornment, and you have a series that would have been long at 12 episodes, but is torturous at 24.
The only person to come through this series looking good is Yoon Eun-Hye who is a Korean Audrey Hepburn. The rest of the cast, especially Kim Jeong-Hoon and Song Ji-hyo (washed out, mousy, and without an ounce of personality), will leave you reaching for the fast forward button.
And one more thing, if we are supposed to believe that a character spent their entire life in England, the least the producers could do is find an actor that can speak English.
Skip this and watch My Name is Kim Sam-Soon. It is the same exact story, too. But at least all the actors are good in that one.
If you've seen one K-Drama, you've seen them all.
That sums up the problem with K-dramas. The producers said that it was hard to make a show based on a graphic novel that hadn't been finished yet. It doesn't seem that they struggled that hard with the challenge. The Palace is just a mindless regurgitation of K-drama cliches that should have been put out to pasture years ago. Here is the premise of this show. Boy loves girl, girl rejects boy so boy gets involved with another girl that he doesn't really like. The first girl then decides that she made a mistake so she tries to get back with the boy. The boy finds himself pulled between his first love and the new girl (because she is cute and good natured). The cute girl leaves the country (to study abroad or for business) and the boy realizes how much he loves her. Sound familiar? It should, it is the exact same plot of every single romantic K-drama that has been released in the last decade (and maybe longer).
When The Palace started I thought it would be different.The costumes and sets are gorgeous and the directing style riffs on anime style. But, within a few episodes, the lavish production can't hide the fact that there is nothing new here. Even worse, all the digital trickery of the first few episodes completely disappears.
Here is a breakdown of how a typical episode works. Character meets character and they talk. Next scene of characters sitting and talking. More characters talking while riding in a car. Characters talk while they eat. And finally, characters talk some more. Nothing is ever implied which can be stated. When characters are alone, they talk too. Throw in some tissue thin villians (a vengeful ex-crown princess and her "too pretty to be a boy" ex-prince) and much ado about a retroactive enthornment, and you have a series that would have been long at 12 episodes, but is torturous at 24.
The only person to come through this series looking good is Yoon Eun-Hye who is a Korean Audrey Hepburn. The rest of the cast, especially Kim Jeong-Hoon and Song Ji-hyo (washed out, mousy, and without an ounce of personality), will leave you reaching for the fast forward button.
And one more thing, if we are supposed to believe that a character spent their entire life in England, the least the producers could do is find an actor that can speak English.
Skip this and watch My Name is Kim Sam-Soon. It is the same exact story, too. But at least all the actors are good in that one.
