“There are many stories of chivalry where the heroic knight saves the damsel in distress. This is not one of them.” – Elodie, Damsel
These words, spoken by Millie Bobby Brown’s dutiful protagonist, summarize Damsel’s premise. The Netflix film takes viewers on an epic quest alongside the dutiful Elodie. She leaves her cold, barren, and economically depressed land after a rich, handsome prince agrees to marry her. This seemingly easy solution to her homeland’s woes quickly goes awry when she discovers the truth about the Aurean royal family’s true intentions. They will use her as a ritual sacrifice to repay a decades-long debt. Yikes. Damsel executes its premise and delivers a mostly enjoyable dark fantasy romp with a dash of revenge and a heavy dose of MBB magic.
Before I dive into the film itself, I’d like to briefly speak on its book counterpart. Evelyn Skye’s 2023 book of the same name is based on this film’s screenplay written by Dan Mazeau. I haven’t read this fantasy adventure, but it is presumably close to what the live-action version presents on-screen. I did note that, like Skye herself, the book cover version of Elodie is a woman of Asian descent. For unexplained reasons, this vision was never meant to carry over to the live-action story, as Millie Bobby Brown was cast back in 2020. It’s not shocking considering Brown’s relationship with Netflix and her role as an executive producer.
Still, a story about a non-white woman who is used as a sacrifice to uphold a rich kingdom unearths an unnerving layer that makes the protagonist’s survival and revenge arc significantly more powerful. While Elodie’s ethnicity isn’t vital to her story like Hua Mulan and Millie Bobby Brown is certainly a capable action heroine, it would have been interesting to explore this narrative through marginalized eyes.
Back to the movie. While Damsel’s cinematography and direction are solid, its worldbuilding feels a bit flimsy and rushed. There’s maybe five minutes of Elodie’s home with a shot of open land, a courtyard of arguing poor people, and a Game of Thrones-style decision-making room. Then, viewers are off across a vague body of water to the lush lands of Aurea, more specifically its castle and surrounding grounds.
There are great gowns—truly beautiful gowns—alongside a smattering of chemistry between Elodie and Prince Henry and a lot of friction between their mothers. (Honestly, I’d watch an entire film with Robin Wright and Angela Bassett having multiple verbal sparring rounds.) The story would have benefited from more buildup towards its sacrificial twist by slowly unfolding the wealthy and reclusive world of Aurea and its people. Elodie’s discomfort and the unease between the two families would have resonated more with additional yet subtle signals that something is amiss.
This nagging feeling of wanting more permeates into several aspects of Damsel. There’s some humor but not quite enough for it flow naturally within this narrative. The film offers get flashes of commentary on agency, power, and the perils of lies, but it often feels very surface level. The tension and action sequences often fizzle before either truly gets to expand.
It digs into some mythos via flashbacks but that results in more questions than answers. Damsel is entertaining with witty dialogue sprinkled throughout. But there are a handful of scenes where it’s tempting to divert your attention. This film is a fun watch on a Friday night, especially if you have kids. But, considering the cast, it should have been great.
Predictably, Damsel speeds to the wedding and sacrifice ceremony, a scene that actually encompasses all of the film’s best elements. From that point, MBB takes center stage as Elodie works to outwit a snarky and vengeful dragon with a sad story of her own. The question is never if Elodie will survive, it is how she will defeat a dragon and an evil kingdom. The answer is, she does it with delightful sparks of ingenuity and tenacity. She’s absolutely a protagonist that young fantasy fans will gravitate towards.
Damsel admittedly hits a pacing snag in the second act but things veer back on course in act three. I verbally wished for a fiery twist to her ending. I was pleased to see it executed so well considering the bounds of a PG-13 rating.
Overall, Damsel takes an imaginative swing at a heroine’s tale that teaches us one major lesson: always listen to Angela Bassett. She will never, ever steer you wrong.
Damsel hits Netflix on March 8.
