This damsel does not need a knight in shining armor to come to her rescue.
“There are many stories of chivalry where the heroic knight saves the damsel in distress,” Millie Bobby Brown’s character Elodie informs us before the film begins. “This is not one of them.”
As Brown has proven with the characters she has played over the years, she can take care of herself. This central theme can be seen amongst her roles as Eleven in “Stranger Things” and Enola in “Enola Homes” one and two.
In this film, however, we see her take not only her performance but the story to new heights. After literally being tossed into a dragon’s lair, we find Elodie in the midst of a harrowing tale of survival, strength, and revenge. With a hint of Game of Thrones, a few Midsommar vibes, and some altogether unique storytelling from Dan Mazeau, Damsel makes for a harrowing film of one woman’s will to survive, filled with excitement, action, and plot twists that make this movie an absolute must-watch.
Brown delivers an incredible and intense performance as Elodie, whom we see adapting to her environment and who makes us feel for every burn and bruise. She has always proven herself to be a great actress on screen, and this was yet another example of that. Her character faces a handful of different challenges in this film, aside from simply running from a dragon.
Brown plays a young woman named Elodie from a wealthy family who lives in a harsh, financially strapped province, simply called a “faraway land.”
In order to save her home, she is bethroned to marry a royal family by her father and stepmother, Lord and Lady Bayford (Ray Winstone and Angela Bassett), in a far-off kingdom, whom, unknown to her, hide a dark secret.
After meeting Queen Isabelle, Isabelle (Robin Wright) and her future husband Prince Henry (Nick Robinson) seemed all would be well, but unfortunately for Elodie, this was not her happily ever after. As soon as they were married, the royal family revealed their true colors. Elodie was no more than a ritual sacrifice to them being offered up to a dragon who had plagued them for centuries in exchange for peace.
Courtesy of Netflix
The film has multiple emotional aspects as well as action and suspenseful moments. We see Elodie come across a cave of names for all the other women who have been sacrificed. Leading her to wonder if anyone actually made it out. However, the most emotional moment was an unexpected twist that comes later on in the film, when the dragon’s true motives are revealed. After this, one must wonder: who the true villain is?
The tension of the film is built up as the dragon taunts Elodie rather than attacking her right away. As Elodie makes her way through the caverns, over cliffs, and into caves, she herself changes and becomes stronger. The dragon is not fully revealed until later on, and once she is, she may not be as terrifying as you’d expect, but with her haunting voice provided by Shohreh Aghdashloo and her lava breath, she makes for just as deadly a beast as any.
Courtesy of Netflix
Of course, we do get an epic fight scene between Elodie and the dragon, but what happens afterwards is truly the epic part. The film has a completely satisfying ending that will leave fans smiling. I mean, Elodie fought a dragon in a corset, so give her some credit.
We also see a great performance from Oscar-nominated Angela Basset. Despite her limited screentime, she commands attention whenever she is in a scene.
Watch the trailer here:
It’s the combination of a period piece film, fantasy and a survival story that makes this film all too good to resist. Damsel is now streaming on Netflix
Fangirl and Writer with a huge passion for entertainment.
