My dad and mom were (and still are) great movie lovers. They didn’t just settle for local movies but also joined us in watching foreign ones. However, there was one movie they frowned upon so much, and that was Xena: The Warrior Princess.
We watched this movie way back in the DVD era, and I remember vividly that my eldest sister bought the complete seasons (Season 1 to 6). We were so happy because we were finally going to watch the much-talked-about fearless female warrior, Xena. We started with Season 1, and each time dad and mom came inside to find us watching it, they would scream, “This movie again! Please remove it and put on another one!”
At first, we thought it was because they didn’t find the movie interesting due to it being the initial stage. You know, not everyone easily grasps the story in a movie at first glance. But no, they found everything about it uninteresting. Here are some of their reasons:
A woman more powerful than men and even male gods
Maybe they were right to dislike the movie because Xena appeared more powerful than anyone else, including gods—not just gods, but male gods as well. Once it got to the scenes where she beat people mercilessly, my dad would start lamenting, “What’s all this? How come they can’t handle her?” and many other ear-itching complaints. We wouldn’t even know when we’d remove the movie to allow peace to reign—at least while he was around.
The way she throws and catches her weapon coupled with the signature sound
This aspect, which recurred often in the movie, made my dad, mom, and some of my other siblings dislike it. (Later on, two of my siblings got influenced by my parents’ dislike and joined them.)
For me, though, I really found the weapon-throwing and catching scenes very interesting. I know it’s film tricks, but those scenes were so eye-catching! She would throw the weapon; it would go far, slit people’s throats, and return to her hand after it was done. The “lelelele” shout, her signature sound, usually drove the group who hated the movie mad. Lol!
We never finished the movie.
Unfortunately, we didn’t get to finish the movie back then because some of the DVD discs were lost. Whether they were hidden or thrown away by the group who didn’t like the movie, we don’t know. We just didn’t get to watch Seasons 6 and 7.
Now that I’m remembering the movie, I think I’m going to give it a watch again. This time, I’m alone, which means no disturbances, and I’m sure I’ll laugh while reminiscing about those old days when there were odd reactions from the family whenever we watched it.
About Xena: The Warrior Princess
Xena is a very popular movie whose main actress is Lucy Lawless. It’s an action-packed, adventurous, fantasy, and supernatural series. The Warrior Princess in the movie was all about fighting for good. She fought oppressors in human form as well as gods and conquered them many times. She was accompanied by her best friend, Gabrielle.
Were you a fan of Xena?
Did you like the movie back then, or were you in the same category as my parents and some of my siblings?
Thanks!
I wrote this in response to CINETV contest