They often say, “if it ain’t broken, don’t fix it,” which sums up The Prince Switch: Switched Again. Netflix felt the original switch between Stacy and Margaret (Vanessa Hudgens) went so well in the first film that they decided to make the sequel and do it all over again.
Oh, and not to be outdone by anyone, including themselves, they wrote in a distant cousin, Fiona (also Hudgens), who gets into the switch game. So if you are confused by all the switching, don’t worry. It’s pretty simple. All the characters, played by Hudgens, switch places and cause a lot of unnecessary drama.
The worse part of it all, which is something I mentioned in the first one, is how clueless King Edward (Sam Palladio) is to the entire thing! This guy has a country to run, yet his wife has switched places with her doppelganger (again) and then she’s kidnapped. Meanwhile, the entire point of the switch, this time, is for love. Stacy is willing to put her own marriage through the ringer for her friend to find love. I hate to say it, but sometimes if it isn’t meant to be, then it won’t be. You can’t force two people to love each other, like Margaret and Kevin (Nick Sagar).
This sequel is two parallel storylines; Fiona wants the throne, and Margaret wants to make her relationship work with Kevin. Everything else you see is nonsense and not even worth our time. Edward and his marriage are an afterthought, while the drama surrounding Margaret’s coronation just isn’t compelling enough.
We were excited to see how the next chapter would play out, especially with the inclusion of a “bad guy.” Personally, I felt this story fell flat on its face and my hope is they don’t make another one, but if they do, maybe stop all the switching and build something of value. It is clear that adding a third character to the mix was not successful; let’s hope they don’t add a four-character in the future. 2/10
Ten Stars or Less 