REVIEW: The Secret Society of Second-Born Royals
I got a chance to watch The Secret Society of Second-Born Royals which dropped on Disney+ on Friday.
The movie follows Sam (Peyton Elizabeth Lee), the second born princess of the fictional kingdom of Illyria. Sam does not like the spotlight the monarchy has on her and uses every chance to rebel. She causes so much trouble that her mother arranges for her to be sent to a special summer school which turns out to be a training ground for second born royals who all have a gene that gives them super powers. While the first born rules, the second born keeps their kingdom safe.
Sam is joined by an island of misfits, including the stuck up influencer, the narcissistic jock, the quiet nerd and the perky girl. They are trained by their mentor James Morrow (Skylar Astin) who is also a second born royal with the ability to duplicate. At first, Sam rebels against her new school, but soon realizes that it's not all that bad and she now has other royals that she wants to hang out with.
Just when things seem like they are going well, Sam's evil uncle strikes and tries to destroy all the royalty in the world. It's up to Sam and her friends to save the world.
Let's start off right off the bat.This film isn't going to be for everybody. It is very much a family friendly Disney film.
That said, I have to say that I enjoyed the film. It reminded me a bit of Sky High. I thought that was a fun film in the world of superheroes that doesn't get enough respect. I don't think I would rate it as its contemporary, but it had several of the same beats of a school for super powered students working to make the world a better place. Maybe this is more of a Disney Channel version of Sky High.
I will say that I had been surprised by the quality of the films coming to Disney+, including the family friendly ones. That said, this film seemed the closest in quality to a DCOM than, say, Stargirl or Timmy Failure. But, I will say it was fun and it seemed to know that it wanted to be more aligned with the DCOMs that have spawned many a franchise.
Don't expect an amazing display of special effects. Again, this is a Disney Channel version of a superhero film, so the budget is not that great. It moves along fairly briskly, but that's not a bad thing.
If you are looking to have a fun time with your family and you liked Sky High, I think you will enjoy this film. If you are looking for something more complex in your superhero films, this might seem a little elementary for you.
Hope that helps in making your choice about picking whether to watch this movie.