A new fantasy movie teeming with magic and adventure recently came out on Netflix. It was released on March 8, 2024. Damsel is full of non-stop action as the main character Elodie escapes from a fire-breathing dragon.
Elodie is from a land where the citizens are in poverty. Lord Bayford, her father, urged her to accept a marriage proposal to the prince of a kingdom called Aurea in order to help her people. After Elodie and the prince were married, he took her to the mountains in Aurea to participate in an ancient ritual. There she learned that a past king made a deal with the dragon living in the mountains. The royal family used Elodie as a sacrifice to pay their debt to the dragon by throwing her into a mountain chasm. The main plot of the movie begins as Elodie attempts to escape the mountain and the dragon living within it.
Damsel was a unique movie to watch. Although it’s an adventure movie, there almost seemed to be too much action. It would have been nice to get some more background information on the characters and even the kingdoms they come from. The beginning of Damsel, which served largely as an introduction to the main storyline, felt a little fast-paced. The movie as a whole could have included more story and dialogue between the characters rather than so much action.
Despite the negative things that can be said about it, Damsel also contains many good qualities. It steps away from the stereotypical fairytale family. Elodie has a kind stepmother and a sister and father that she loves. If the movie featured more of the other characters and Elodie’s interactions with them, it would have been much more entertaining to watch. One of the greatest attributes of Damsel is that the dragon is as much of a character as the people. She has a voice and is able to interact with Elodie, which made the scenes she appeared in more alarming.
As the story progresses, Elodie’s personality changes. She goes from a gentle princess to a fighter. Her character is played by actress Millie Bobby Brown, who was also one of the movie producers. Even though the audience doesn’t get to know much about the characters or the world it takes place in, Damsel is still a good movie, especially for anyone who likes action. There are many scenes with violence, so it’s not a great movie for younger kids. Damsel may not be the best fantasy film ever made, but it certainly has some merit.
