“Princess” continues on

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‘Princess’

CONTINUED FROM THE FRONT PAGE

Set in the fctional, vaguely European-sounding country of Montenaro, “The Princess Switch 3” opens with the arrival of the Star of Peace, a sacred Christian relic once owned by Saint Nicholas, to be displayed in a museum. Of course, almost immediately, the Star is stolen.

To set the stage for Fiona’s redemption arc, Stacy and Margaret inexplicably recruit her to help solve the case. Oh, and at this time, Fiona is doing community service in a convent for kidnapping Stacy in a previous movie in a bungled attempt to take Margaret’s throne. This is just one example of the mind-boggling incompetence of Margarent and Stacy as monarchs that distracts from the main story — they trust their kidnapper more than their own country’s police force. Also, community service for kidnapping? Maybe Margaret is right to mistrust Montenaro’s justice system.

As for the main plotline, any sense of mystery dissolves less than a quarter of the way into the movie as a private contractor (who is also Fiona’s love interest) deduces the identity of the thief. Its initial fast pace grinds to a halt as the rest of the movie centers on Fiona’s exploits as she leads the effort to get the Star back in a totally unnecessary heist involving laser mazes and rooftop escapes.

Fiona’s abrasive voice and evil scheming from the last movie don’t correspond well to her new sympathetic arc, so she’s given a backstory in which an earnest child actress portrays a young Fiona being neglected by her mother. Given that this is glossed over for the vast majority of the otherwise lighthearted movie, it’s jarring whenever it’s glancingly brought up, and it just seems half-baked. On the topic of redeemability, it’s pretty hard for me to root for anyone in the movie. Although Fiona is virtually the only character with an actual purpose, her portrayal is of-putting. Margaret and Stacy don’t seem to do much of anything for most of the movie except impersonate Fiona and cheerily talk about Christmas, which says a lot about their characters. As monarchs, you’d think they’d be out and about interacting with community leaders and government ofcials, but they seem to have little sense of social consciousness in their royal bubble. Perhaps this is the true intrigue of “The Princess Switch 3.” Could a revolution in Montenaro be on the horizon?

To Hudgens’s credit, she does a decent job of making the diferent versions of herself seem like distinct people. Plus, given the complete irrelevance of the male leads in the storyline, the movie somehow makes it easier to tell the identical Vanessa Hudgenses apart than it does their love interests. Not that that’s a bad thing — the focus on Hudgens playing three diferent people is what makes the movie novel, and I doubt that more relationship subplots would

A cheery but add any meaningful intrigue. emotionally Don’t be put of — despite its empty bundle shortcomings, “The Princess of Christmas Switch 3” is proof that a movie spirit. doesn’t have to be a visual and storytelling masterpiece to be entertaining. It’s versatile in its appeal. You can analyze the questionable character choices and laugh at the ridiculous plot, or simply appreciate it as it’s meant to be: A cheery but emotionally empty bundle of Christmas spirit.

VIA NETFLIX Queen Margaret of Montenaro celebrates Christmas with the king. After the Star of Saint Nicholas is stolen from its museum display, the two royals must recruit their scheming cousin Fiona (Vanessa Hudgens) to get it back.

‘Home Sweet Home Alone’: Better stick to the original

AUDREY ZHU Staf Writer

As someone who pretty much memorized “Home Alone” in Christmas pajamas while sipping hot cocoa, I had high expectations for the Disney+ remake “Home Sweet Home Alone.” However, despite a few good one-liners and well-casted characters, “Home Sweet Home Alone” fails to meet the Christmas goal of leaving viewers in a feel-good mood; instead, the flm delivers an unappealing plot and illogical ending with no sense of closure.

“Home Sweet Home Alone” follows the mischievous and spoiled Max Mercer, who is accidentally left home after his entire family goes to Tokyo without him. Like his predecessor Kevin McCallister, the original “Home Alone” protagonist, Max starts out enjoying his newfound freedom when he gets the whole house to himself. But upon overhearing a plan that his house will be broken into, he sets out to protect it.

Despite the initial similarities, I found myself uneasy for the majority of the movie, largely due to the major change in the storyline of the villains. The antagonists, Pam and Jef McKenzie, are a kindhearted couple with fnancial issues who mistakenly believe Max has stolen a priceless doll of theirs. As they attempt to get it back, Max sets up booby traps that severely injure the McKenzies. Admittedly, breaking and entering to solve fnancial problems is taking things a step too far, but hardly something that warrants getting burned or stabbed — especially when it is a generally good-natured but confused couple. The serious injuries endured by the antagonists in the original “Home Alone” seemed appropriate because they were portrayed as bumbling robbers with clearly malicious intentions. Here, it just feels uncomfortable, and it’s obvious the remake completely misses the holiday spirit and the feel-good aspect.

The type of protagonist in “Home Sweet Home Alone” also varied from the protagonist in “Home Alone,” with Max being portrayed in a more negative manner. Kevin captured the hearts of millions with his stubborn yet charming personality, whereas Max came of as

rude and spiteful, and not in an endearing way — he even insults Jef when they frst meet by comparing him to Frankenstein, for no apparent reason. Because Max lacks the necessary charm that made Kevin likable, it was hard to sympathize with him or enjoy his elaborate booby traps, and I found myself sympathizing with the couple instead. I was hoping that a heart-warming ending could make up for the ongoing character and plot faws, but once again, I was left disappointed. Instead of including a happy ending to Max’s dysfunctional relationship with his family, the flm gives us a lackluster ending with zero closure. In “Home Alone,” Kevin initially fought with his siblings often, and wished that they would all disappear. Throughout the flm, he learned to be grateful for his family and he and his brother forgave each other for a previous argument. However, in “Home Sweet Home Alone,” we see that a year into the future, Max and his mother are now friends with Pam and Jef — an absurd ending that makes no sense given everything the McKenzies endured at Max’s hands. There is also no sign that Max has mended his fawed relationship with his family, which arguably is the reason for him getting forgotten at home in the frst place. If you’re looking for a holiday VIA 20TH CENTURY STUDIOS classic to get you into the ChristMax Mercer, a mischievous and spoiled kid, sets up elaborate booby traps to defend his house. “Home Sweet Home Alone” completely misses mas spirit, I’d say stick to the the feel-good spirit of the original “Home Alone,” leaving viewers confused and in no mood to enjoy the holidays. original.

If you’re looking for a holiday classic to get you into the Christmas spirit, I’d say stick to the original.

B a ttle of the Beaus: Disney princes rank e d

KAAVYA BUTANEY Web Managing Editor VAISHU SIRKAY Copy Editor ROSE LIU Graphic Artist

With new variants of COVID and finals looming, we decided to cover the topic at the forefront of students’ minds during finals season: Disney princes. After an extensive Disney+ binge (that definitely wasn’t pre-finals procrastination), we’ve landed on our definitive ranking of 10 Disney princes, from worst to best.

10. Prince Florian

Snow White

Let’s review the facts: Prince Florian, allegedly 31 years old at the time of the movie, kissed Snow White, a comatose 14-year-old. With a predatory age gap and complete disregard for consent, Prince Florian has more than earned his spot at the bottom of our ranking.

5. Aladdin

Aladdin

Aladdin was a difficult guy to place because on the one hand, he lies to Jasmine for most of the movie. On the other hand, he’s got a tough hand: monkey for a best friend, no shirt and barely a loaf of bread. So

9. Prince Philip

Sleeping Beauty

What is it with Disney princes and kissing unconscious women? Prince Philip’s true love’s kiss is more creepy than romantic. He only outranks Prince Florian because he is four years older than Aurora’s 16, which is next to nothing in comparison to Snow White and Prince Florian’s 17 but still problematic, given that Aurora’s a minor.

8. Prince Adam

Beauty and the Beast

Adam squeezes in at eighth with at least one count of kidnapping. Even though he has a fantastic house with snappy silverware and a great library, Adam still sucks for his confusing temperament and imprisonment of Belle’s father.

7. Prince Charming

Cinderella

We know nothing about this guy. He has around 15 minutes of screentime, during which he falls in love with a girl during one dance and then immediately loses track of her. Charming is middle-tier solely because he does not commit any crimes other than having the personality of a saltine cracker.

6. Prince Eric

The Little Mermaid

Is it concerning that Prince Eric fell in love with Ariel without ever speaking to her? Absolutely. But with his chill, beachy vibe and heroic save at the end of the movie, it’s not hard to see how he won over King Triton and ultimately got the girl, even if he is painfully superficial.

4. Prince Naveen

The Princess & The Frog

Although he’s the first prince on our list with any character development, Naveen falls below the others for his less-than-impressive improvement. He spends most of the movie desperate to return to his life and only seems to change to win over Tiana, which isn’t the greatest motivation. Still, he’s a compelling character with an interesting personality.

3. Li Shang

Mulan

We’ll admit, the casual sexism in “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” doesn’t give Li Shang the greatest start, but as the movie goes on, Shang redeems himself as he learns to see Mulan for who she is, rather than her gender. Plus, he won major bonus points when he rode on horseback across China just to give Mulan her helmet back.

2. Kristoff

Frozen

Okay, we admit, Kristoff is kind of perfect; he’s kind, brave and has a healthy, therapist-approved relationship (thanks CinemaTherapy) with Anna. Unfortunately, this makes Kristoff a little too boring, lacking character traits beyond being a great boyfriend and his only friend being a reindeer, so we had to rank him second.

1. Eugene

Tangled

While Flynn Rider doesn’t immediately seem like prince-material, this witty thief with a heart of gold certainly stole our hearts — and Rapunzel’s. Yes, he’s flawed, but that makes him a complex character who grows over the course of the movie and is impossible to root against. Effortlessly charming and a devoted partner, he’s truly the full package (even if he’s a lessthan-ideal hair stylist).

Peet's Coffee Holiday Treats

VAISHU SIRKAY Copy Editor NINA CROFTS Senior Writer Holiday Spice Latte

’Tis the season to be caffeinated. As the holidays roll around, they’re ushered in by arguably the best part of the season: seasonal treats. After trying five holiday offerings from Peet’s, we’ve given them a definitive score, so you can see how they stack up. Featuring a pleasant but not overwhelming fusion of cloves, ginger and cinnamon, the holiday spice latte is a refined festive drink that we honestly loved. While it is made with Peet’s signature dark-roast holiday spice blend, the coffee flavor is not overbearing, so it would definitely hit the spot even for a medium or light roast drinker. The latte highlights the spices — the best part of the blend — while not being overly complicated. It pairs perfectly with either of the gingerbread offerings.

Gingerbread Person

As soon as we saw it in the display case, we knew that we had to try this adorable, humanoid cookie. Hand-decorated with snowy white icing, the gingerbread person feels like it was made with love and instantly evoked memories of class holiday parties from elementary school. As we took our first bite (the head, of course), we were pleasantly surprised by the strong, warm notes of cinnamon and ginger this cookie packs. While the gingerbread person is a bit too chewy, the flavor and presentation mostly compensate for that deficit.

Peppermint Mocha

While mocha lovers might love this drink, the unpleasantly rich and heavy dark chocolate overpowers the rest of the flavors. That said, the mint is perfectly balanced: present and sweet, but not aggressive as some peppermint mochas can be (looking at you, Starbucks). Still, though it tasted great, the richness made it hard to imagine having anything other than a small, and even that might be difficult to finish. That said, this drink is probably perfect for a mocha-lover who’d like to add some holiday flair to their morning pick-up.

Iced Gingerbread

The iced gingerbread loaf is the exact opposite of its cookie counterpart. While the gingerbread person struggles with the texture but excels in taste, the iced gingerbread is wonderfully moist and tender, yet sorely lacks that quintessential gingerbread flavor. The cake itself tastes more like molasses than anything else, and we were missing the zing of ginger or punch of spice expected in a gingerbread loaf. While the icing adds some visual contrast and the crystalized ginger sprinkled on top is a nice touch, we were overall underwhelmed.

Cold Brew Oat Milk Latte

Unfortunately, the Holiday Spice Cold Brew Oat Milk Latte brings out the worst in the Holiday Spice blend — so much so that we didn’t even want to finish it. The depth of the coffee and hints of spice that we loved in the Holiday Spice Blend are absent, and the initial flavor and texture is watery, probably due to the brand of oat milk Peet’s uses. The aftertaste is initially pleasant and reveals more spice flavor, but it quickly becomes bitter. However, we still give this drink a passing grade, because those who enjoy regular oat milk drinks at Peet’s won’t have the same complaints that we did, and it’s a refreshing alternative to the hot version of the Holiday Spice latte.

GRAPHICS BY OLIVIA HEWANG