Damsel

Overview

A young woman's marriage to a charming prince turns into a fierce fight for survival when she's offered up as a sacrifice to a fire-breathing dragon.

Rating

9 Reviews

• 

  EarthAndGravity

  8 Mar 12, 2024

  I totally DISAGREE with the first review by thorian93. Yes, it is a simple storyline. Typical if you must say but it is a story that is NOT complicated and hard to understand. The story is not tangled that you need to connect the dots from past, future and the now kind of movie. It's simple but super. CGI is amazing especially the dragon. Eat your heart out thorian93! This is by far the best movie that I've watched this month of March.

• 

  nicoleamaree

  4 Mar 15, 2024

  **Movie Review: Damsel (2024)** **Plot Overview:** "Damsel" is a fantasy film that subverts the classic 'damsel in distress' trope. Set in a medieval world, it follows Elodie, played by Millie Bobby Brown, who is tricked into a marriage with a prince only to find out she's to be sacrificed to a dragon as part of a centuries-old pact. The film takes a turn from fairy tale to survival as Elodie uses her wit and resources to escape her fate. **Themes:** The film explores themes of self-reliance, empowerment, and the subversion of traditional gender roles. It challenges the narrative of the passive female character, presenting a heroine who is capable and resourceful. **Character Development:** Elodie's character arc is central to the film's impact. She evolves from a young woman resigned to her fate to a fierce survivor, fighting not just for herself but for the future of her people. The supporting characters, including the prince and the queen, add depth to the story, each revealing their own motives and complexities. **Director's Style:** Juan Carlos Fresnadillo directs with a clear vision, blending action with fantasy elements. His use of contrasting settings – from the snowy village to the opulent royal court – adds to the film's visual appeal. **Performances:** Millie Bobby Brown delivers a strong performance, capturing Elodie's transformation convincingly. The supporting cast, including Ray Winstone and Robin Wright, provide solid performances, though Angela Bassett's talent is noted as underused. **Technical Aspects:** The film boasts impressive production design and costumes, creating a visually stunning medieval world. However, some reviews criticize the CGI as cheap-looking and the action sequences as repetitive. **Strengths and Weaknesses:** Strengths include the film's strong lead performance, innovative plot, and beautiful set pieces. Weaknesses lie in the script and some performances that fail to engage, along with technical aspects that could have been executed better. **Recommendation:** "Damsel" is a film that offers a fresh take on the fantasy genre. While it has its flaws, the film's strengths make it worth watching for those interested in a modern twist on classic fairy tales. In conclusion, "Damsel" is a bold attempt to redefine a genre steeped in tradition. It's a film that will resonate with audiences looking for strong female leads and a story that champions individual agency over destiny. Despite its shortcomings, "Damsel" is a commendable addition to the fantasy genre and is recommended for its unique perspective and engaging storyline.

• 

  r96sk

  5 Apr 6, 2024

  A disappointment. 'Damsel' has the right ingredients but unfortunately fails to deliver. Millie Bobby Brown leads the cast in alright fashion, her performance in the lead role is serviceable. She is probably the only positive that I hold for this 2024 film sadly. My main negative is the special effects, which are quite distracting throughout - barely any of it comes across as convincing. The dragon looks OK, but the way it moved sometimes didn't seem right. Speaking of that creature, Shohreh Aghdashloo is a neat piece of casting on paper, though her voice was not the most fitting in actuality. The lighting also felt odd. On the cast, away from Brown, Robin Wright is very meh in her role, while Angela Bassett feels extremely wasted. There is, at least, a nice end credits song from the ace Lykke Li, "Ring of Fire" is admittedly incomparable to "No Rest for the Wicked" but it is pretty good all the same!

• 

  tippfehlr

  4 Apr 28, 2024

  Overall this film was just meh. The cgi was good, but the writing pretty much ruined this film for me, it was just so boring and so predictable. The dialogue felt very scripted and just did not convince, As others have pointed out as well, [SPOILER] our damsel runs around screaming for the first part of the film and then suddenly turns into a warrior. Watch this if you don't care about the dialogue or story and want a dragon, good cgi and pretty landscapes I guess.

• 

  MovieGuys

  2 Apr 30, 2024

  Moronic, misandry, mind numbing. The three M's of awfulness that is Damsel. No amount of quality acting, can save this Damsel in distress.

• 

  Dark Jedi

  8 Jun 15, 2024

  Although far from a masterpiece this is a simple, straightforward and entertaining fantasy movie. The story is predictable to say the least but I do not really care. I rather have a good, solid but predictable story than one filled with the usual illogical twists that the Hollywood hacks are so good at coming up with. Fantasy is about magic, fantastic creatures and thus about special effects. This movie is pretty solid in that area. The special effects are overall good, not fantastic but good. Occasionally the dragon fire looked a wee bit wonky but overall they were fine. The movie moves at a decent pace. Not too fast and not too slow. The story and the past is revealed at a rate and in a way that makes things fit together nicely. The main protagonist is quite right as well. The right amount of panic and cluelessness at the start which gradually turns into a capable and unafraid heroin seeking revenge. It is also a story with a happy ending which I like. Well not for the evil queen of course but you cannot please everyone. So, this was a pleasant surprise from Netflix. Their production has been a bit uneven to say the least but I guess the agenda pushers did not get their grubby hands on this one.