Of Swords and Parasols

Today, I watched two TV movies about the "Sequel/further mythology?  What sequel/further mythology?" crossdressing, swashbuckling daughters of famous action dudes.  Specifically, La Femme Musketeer, about Valentine, the daughter of D'Artagnan, and Princess of Thieves, about Gwen, daughter of Robin Hood.  Observe the totally convincing crossdressing!

Valentine:
 

Gwen:


Shockingly, this is, in fact, more convincing crossdressing than most Chinese dramas!

Both were fun, but I must confess to preferring LFM to PoT, which only actually got fun after the first 20 minutes, whereas LFM started fun.  Both loosely follow the better known parts of the original stories, just adapted to the next generation.  Neither is really technically "good," but both are fun.  I shall now explain my preference with uncut/unblocked spoilers!

Movie Kicks off with...

LFM:  D'Artagnan sending Valentine off to join the musketeers, totally convinced her awesome will convince anyone.
PoT:  Gwen being told she just doesn't appreciate her (male, naturally) childhood BFF enough and should be more sensitive to his feelings, and maybe force herself to reciprocate his love. (Nice Guy alert!  Thankfully, not the Official Love Interest.)

Winner: LFM

Expression of fatherly love:

LFM:  Teaches her to fight and is totally convinced she can handle herself in any situation.
PoT:  Runs off to the crusades her whole life, is happier to see everyone else than her when he returns, tells her to stay home and be a good little girl while men do the rescuing.

Winner: LFM (I did mention that it takes about 20 minutes to get to the fun in PoT, right?)

Writers going "what this famous plot needs is Action Girls! Or just girls who don't die.":

LFM:  Valentine never has to be rescued, even if the men don't always realize it, and saves herself and o other women while the men are on the way.  Also rescues her rescuers.  Movie is Dude Central, but there are a number of other women, including Damsels in Distress who take an active part in saving themselves and each other.
PoT:  Gwen rescues men but also gets rescued a few times.  Nothing obnoxious, but noticable back-to-back.  And while there are a couple of minor female characters, it's pretty much a case of Only One Woman.

Winner: LFM

Official Romantic Plotline:

LFM:

Gaston: Hey, you grew up cute and I'm totally not bitter about when we were kids and you clearly beat me up despite being half my size.  I'm a total playboy, but could consider monogamy for Girl With Sword.
Valentine:  A Damsel!  In Distress!  I must go be heroic!
Gaston:  WAIT FOR MEEEEEEE!

PoT:

Philip:  I am The True King of England but disguised as a commoner to dodge assassins!  I'm kind of responsibility-phobic, but am reconsidering because you are cute and all patriotic!
Gwen:  I am the crossdressing daughter of a thief and grew up in the forest and am currently staging a rebellion against your evil uncle who you have never met!
Philip:  Woes! Our love cannot be!  Wait, I could abdicate?
Gwen:  Do, and I'll kick your butt.  I'll be your champion instead, and we can spend a few decades in a UST-ful pseudo-platonic professional relationship.

Winner: PoT.  Both pairings are likable but fairly typical, and I like that both had her end up single instead of nicely married off (Valentine and Gaston will clearly get together in the future, but not yet) but PoT had the rejection of True Love Is More Important Than Anything Else that I sometimes really like when handled well, and that made up for a lot of the annoying bits.

Sidekicks:

LFM:  Likable and usually entertaining, if somewhat forgettable, Sons Of The Other Musketeers, plus the musketeers (John Rhys Davies as Porthos!) and an abducted princess and her ladies.
PoT:  Nice Guy childhood friend, mansplainin' Dad, Prince in Disguise.

Winner: LFM  (I liked-in-context-of-role pretty much everyone in LFM?  In PoT I only really liked Gwen and Philip, and Philip largely because he was better than the rest.)

Anyway, like I said, both are fun, though Valentine is more awesome overall than Gwen, but that's kind of because LFM is more concerned about having fun and lacks mansplainin' and is more willing to let her be awesome?  PoT almost takes itself seriously at times, which really works against it.  Also, LFM was longer, and PoT could have been longer, especially as more plot could have justified it's wanting to be more serious.