Film Review: Damsel (2024)
On a rainy bank holiday Monday, there’s nothing a Netflix marathon can’t cure and when that is a post-St Patrick’s Day Monday, there is a lot that needed to be cured. I’d seen some press for Netflix’s latest movie, Damsel, that is billed as ‘not a fairy tale’ so decided to give it a go. The film stars Millie Bobbie Brown as Elodie, her step-mother is Angela Bassett, husband to be Nick Robinson and her evil mother-in-law the frightening Robin Wright.
The premise
‘A dutiful damsel agrees to marry a handsome prince, only to find the royal family has recruited her as a sacrifice to repay an ancient debt.’ The storyline got straight to the point as Elodie quickly finds herself thrown to the bottom of a cave to fend of a large CGI iguana, I mean non-spoiler but the ancient debt refers to a fire breathing dragon with a creepy catchphrase, ‘little bird’. But this dragon didn’t know what hit it when Elodie entered the cave because she wasn’t giving up without a fight.
First things first
I’ll just put it out there but poor Elodie wouldn’t be in this predicament in the first place if her daddy hadn’t sold her off and signed her death warrant. He consented to having her sacrificed in return for gold and supplies for his struggling kingdom. I mean surely there’s something else they could have done? He saw the light, realised his mistake and returned to find Elodie only to cause more hassle than what it was worth.
We can only assume that all fathers consented to their daughters being sacrificed in return for wealth so at the end of the film when Elodie tells the third bride to run away with her family, I am kinda thinking yeah, I’ll go but da how about you stay?
The cave
The majority of the film’s action takes place in the cave that is littered with late princesses accessories, bodies and names chalked onto walls. The “army” left a map for future princesses however none were successful in their attempts of escape. We witness the trauma, burns, starvation and exhaustion Elodie faced during her time so this is where my pet peeve comes from.
How the hell did she manage to use a sword to cut a perfect bob haircut, look like she’s only out of a fresh blow dry appointment and rework her multi-layered wedding dress to a black leather corset ensemble? I would love for once a film to show men and women heroes in a state of utter dishevelment considering the trauma they will have endured.
7/10
Damsel confirmed my notion of how talented Millie Bobby Brown is. I really enjoyed this movie, there were some excellent scenes however some of the story felt a bit rushed towards the end. I think the plot spent too long in the cave and not enough time planning her revenge on the royals.
They literally get smoked and she returns home with her sister and “mother” and oh yes, the dragon. Some of the writing felt a bit too “girl boss” for my liking and not enough, holy sh*t I am stuck in a cave with a fire breathing dragon and am still alive. But if you can look past that, it’s an enjoyable adventure film that I would recommend.