Royalteen

I didn't read the book this was based on so I'm not sure if it's a good adaptation but as it is... it's not really great.

I watched totally blind expecting it to be a light hearted royalty teen romcom similar to "Prince and Me" or "Royal Treatment" but it wasn't (not necessarily a bad thing!). I was surprised to see them add in more delicate topics a teenager may face. It wasn't some masterpiece twist but it does at least separate its characters from the usual. They have high consequence actual flaws and issues like dealing with social stigma... it's not just sunshine and rainbows.

However the execution of everything was lackluster. Pacing was horrible. Instead of focusing on the whole of the story they chose to highlight the "romance" part that it overshadowed the struggles of the characters because it was all about the romance that was basically non-existent here because they didn't really give it time to mature and create chemistry. They just fell in love for some reason after like bumping into each other? You can't build a good romance without foundation. They even addressed the deeper issues that made the whole plot better so flippantly...it's just disappointing.

This would have been better as a limited series of sort to really delve into the characters' struggles, why they act they way they do, so you can actually empathize with them while the romance is a B-plot to create that slow burn. But alas this wasn't it.

At first I was like "let's kill my time with an easygoing cliché teen movie", but actually it turned out to be a remarkable teen movie! Bravo! I really enjoyed it! I would like to see it to last more, because at some scenes was too fast the plot!

This would have been really good as a TV show, but as a movie it ended in such a wierd way, way to soon. The way it built up, and the way it ended was just like an episode 1 of a TV show.

The very end was odd and felt rushed but this was a nice movie. I watched it with subtitles half heartedly while working and it managed to suck me in enough that I had to stop and wait for it to finish.

Never read the book(s)? So not sure about accuracy but it was definitely better than the current rating.

I have read the books and this film follows book 1 closely. It was so similar to how I imagined it when I read the book, so well done there! I recommend seeing it, but keep in mind that not everything is tied up in the end. This might have worked better as a TV series. It sort of felt like episode 1, and I imagine it would be a bit annoying to watch this and not know what happens next already.

That said, the scenery is beautiful, the actors are believable and good - nice to see actual teenagers play roles their age! If you liked Young Royals or Skam, this a movie for you. I really hope they continue this and make movies of the next books, too.