Publication Date: 10-23-2025

Lesbian Space Princess (2025) review

Dir. Emma Hough Hobbs and Leela Varghese

By: Steve Pulaski

Rating: ★★½

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. The neglected daughter of two lesbians lives on the planet of Clitopolis. Her ex-girlfriend is kidnapped by “Straight White Maliens” (pronounced “may-lee-ins”) who intend on using her as bait to steal an axe known as a “labrys,” which they believe will serve as their “chick magnet.” The labrys is a symbol of lesbianistic power, but it’s something our protagonist has been unable to summon. This leaves her with few other options than leaving Clitopolis and venturing into the galaxy in search of her ex as well as a drag queen she read online that can help her harness her labrys.

Lesbian Space Princess gets no points off for wit and zeal. Not since the fictional TV show Republican Space Rangers from Grand Theft Auto IV has there been an intergalactic work that inspires curiosity on the merits of title alone. The acclaimed Australian feature is the debut of the writing/directing team of Emma Hough Hobbs and Leela Varghese, who have crafted something I presume will deeply resonate with the LGBTQIA community. Who knows? If it gains traction across the pond in America, it might be able to enjoy a small theatrical run ala The Rocky Horror Picture Show. There are a plethora of aspects that make it unique and likable, but like most animated films in this day and age — especially those underscored by aggressive internet and Gen Z-related humor — it becomes tiring, even at 87 minutes long.

Our vessel into the candy-colored, visual world of Clitopolis is Saira (voiced by Shabana Azeez), who is dumped by her girlfriend, Kiki (Bernie Van Tiel), two weeks into the relationship. Kiki claims Saira is meek, always crying and apologizing. It’s not hard to see that Saira is struggling to find her own sense of self, and watching her develop over the course of the film is one of the most compelling elements in Lesbian Space Princess. She grows and matures once she meets Willow (Gemma Chua-Tran), a gay-pop singer she believes could be her next lover, but in reality, is the voice of reason she so desperately needs.

The Straight White Maliens are a hilarious bunch. Voiced by the Australian comedy trio known as Aunty Donna, they are vertical white line segments with faces that recall the Mooninites from Aqua Teen Hunger Force. I can see it now. A plethora of angry, Reddit-dependent loudmouths decrying the jabs at straight white men as “woke” and hateful. Hobbs and Varghese enjoy taking the piss out of this group, and I’d argue they could’ve went even further in terms of their scathing barbs. However, doing so would disrupt the persistently fluffy, light-hearted tone the film seeks to cultivate.

As much fun as it is to see Saira grow confident of her convictions, her interactions with her “Problematic Ship” — her incessantly mansplaining method of transportation, voiced by Richard Roxburgh, who speaks in the tone of punchlines — are equally enjoyable. At one point, it suggests dropping Saira off at a nail salon because “women can’t fly ships.”

Lesbian Space Princess is both breakneck and madcap in the same way Phil Lord and Chris Miller’s The Mitchells vs. the Machines is, constantly hurling itself to the next set-piece to introduce us to two or three more characters with questionable relevance to the plot. The film is at its best when it slows down enough for conversations to take place: the ones between Saira and Willow or the Straight White Maliens themselves prove to be the most substantive. As much as I loathe saying this, as I see it as a reflection of our dwindling attention spans in these increasingly technology-driven times, this is the kind of work that packs its greatest punch when viewed in bite-sized clips. Viewed in an 87-minute marathon, the rambunctiousness of the story coupled with the speedy pacing makes it likely you’ll miss certain jokes due to your mind inevitably wandering.

Voiced by: Shabana Azeez, Bernie Van Tiel, Gemma Chua-Tran, Richard Roxburgh, Kween Kong, Mark Bonanno, Zachary Ruane, and Broden Kelly. Directed by: Emma Hough Hobbs and Leela Varghese.