Throwback Thursday to Damian Lewis in Your Highness

Hello, everyone! Today’s Throwback Thursday is coming from a very special fan who has officially joined Fan Fun as an occasional contributor. Please get to know Dark Horse in her fun bio here, find her lovely fan story here, and enjoy her take on Damian Lewis in Your Highness below! Cheers!

With a critic Metascore of just 31, and a rating of 5.5 out of 10 on IMDB, the film ‘Your Highness’ doesn’t scream “must watch”. However, I feel the critics have got this one wrong! This film is funny and silly, and almost a parody of your typical ‘Prince and his Knights save the Princess’-type fantasy film; it isn’t to be taken seriously.

The main characters are brothers, Prince Fabious (James Franco) & Prince Thadeous (Danny McBride). We meet our flame-haired Knight, Boremont, early on, as he rides in to the castle behind Fabious, carrying a cyclops’ head in a bag. However, when Fabious announces his plans to marry the beautiful Belladonna (Zooey Deschanel), with his brother as Best Man, Boremont clearly feels betrayed; he reveals that he lost his left hand in battle, defending Fabious, and has a metal replacement. Now, I must admit, I quite like an angry Damian; his eyes have a certain spark… And he rather suits being a Knight in Shining Armour…

 Anyway, back to the film!

Belladonna is kidnapped by the evil Leezar (Justin Theroux), and the Knights Elite must go on a quest to rescue her. Prince Fabious visits the Wise Wizard (probably the most disturbing scene in the whole film – if you’ve watched it, you’ll know what I mean), but chooses Prince Thadeous over Boremont once again and the hurt flickers across the Knight’s eyes… (But why would anyone choose Danny McBride over our ‘Ginger Prince’?)

It is soon revealed that Prince Fabious’ close friend Julie (Toby Jones) is in-fact a traitor, working with Leezar… and so are the other Knights! Boremont has his first ‘big moment’ here, and Damian goes into full tight-jaw, gritted teeth, angry mode. The initial fight is followed by a chase with horses and carriages, but the Princes escape and it’s the last we see of the Knights Elite for a while.

The plot continues with some hilarious twists and turns (I won’t reveal too many spoilers, for the sake of those who’ve not seen it, but male viewers may enjoy an almost-naked Natalie Portman). Eventually, the two Princes reach Leezar and must do battle with the Knights once more. Boremont fights Prince Fabious and reveals his metal hand has a concealed blade. Unfortunately, this proves to be his undoing; Fabious cuts his arm off and stabs him with it… (This was quite a shock when I saw this film in the cinema, and I admit I still hold my breath through this scene whenever I watch. If you struggled with Brody’s sad demise in ‘Homeland’ – and let’s face it, who didn’t – call this warning a public service.)

As Boremont dies, he confesses he always loved Fabious, “as a man loves another man”. (This too was a shock – Damian, a dead gay knight. Not quite what I expected from my ‘Knight in Shining Armour’! My boyfriend still finds my facial expression hilarious.)

I won’t reveal whether the Princes save the day and who marries the beautiful damsel in distress, though I’m sure you can probably guess. Our beloved Damian isn’t exactly a dashing hero in this film either, but it’s definitely worth a watch if you like silly, entertaining films that don’t need brain power to follow plot lines. Just be prepared for juvenile humour, and a Damian death-scene…

Author: Damianista

Academic, Traveler, Blogger, Runner, Theatre Lover, Wine Snob, Part-time New Yorker, and Walking Damian Lewis Encyclopedia :D Procrastinated about a fan's diary on Damian Lewis for a while and the rest is history!

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