Everyone detests betrayal yet it's rampant among peasants and royals alike!
A young girl, Elodie (played by Millie Bobby Brown), travels by sea to a faraway land to marry Prince Henry of Aurea. After the ceremony, they join their hands in a blood oath and thereafter, he apologises before tossing her like a doll into a dark chasm that harbours a fearsome creature. A dragon. Will Elodie survive the attacks from the dragon? Why did the Prince and people of Aurea betray this young princess?
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It's a fairytale, yet it's not. The opening voiceover by Millie Bobby Brown says:
There are many stories of chivalry where the heroic knight saves the damsel in distress. This is not one of them!
Damsel (2024) is an epic, dark fantasy and definitely worth watching for those into this genre. It's unique in the sense that we expect the commoner-crowned-princess to fall in love with the prince, and they live happily ever after, just like in fairytales. Sadly, it's not so and this takes the audience by surprise.
I applaud the minds behind this film because the plot is brilliant; it's not cliché like some dark romances. The storytelling is intriguing and exciting. The writer, Dan Mazeau, makes a complete opposite version of what we are familiar with, telling us all that glitters is not gold. The prince doesn't get the damsel and they don't live happily ever after. The damsel is distressed but saves herself rather than wait for Prince Charming or a knight in shining armour. The horrible beast doesn't eat or kill the damsel, instead she conquers the beast!
As the theme of betrayal marks the beginning of the film, the core of the story becomes the connection that develops between Elodie and the dragon. Their clash of wills, determination and anger reveals that their stories are similar and heartbreaking. Once they find that connection, they become unstoppable, making the last scene admirable.
Ever since her fantastic performance in Eniola Holmes 1 and 2, I promised myself never to miss any of Millie Bobby Brown's movies because she has great acting skills. In this epic film, she embodies her character with such finesse that you'll forget it's fictional. As Elodie, she's brave, daring and smart. At first, she's this young lady with dreams of adventure and love but when faced with reality, she buckles up and fights for her life and family.
The supporting cast performed admirably too, especially Shohreh Aghdashloo's voice as the dragon. Unlike the baritone voices of the dragons featured in Merlin and The Hobbit trilogy, hers is calm and drawling, if that makes sense.
I was happy to see Angela Bassett in a supporting role. Though her screen time is little, her acting is great as always and her impact felt in the narrative. And Robin Wright is never shy to act as the bad queen!
Another impressive part of this dark fantasy is the dragon's cave. It's dark with many nooks and crannies, names of pasts damsels who didn't survive the dragon scratched on the wall to create the omnious and spooky feeling. Also, there are glowworms! (You'll have to see the film to understand my exclamation here). That was unexpected. The cave is a deathtrap possessing healing properties as well.
One part of the film I would fault though is the cinematography and editing. They are okay but in some scenes, they slip up and it's awkward. This is more obvious in the scene where the villains are taken out. It's sudden and unrealistic. When faced with a fire-breathing dragon, I would run for my dear life but these villains stood and watched as the fire rained on them. That's just unreal and the CGI in the scene was terribly done.
Overall, Damsel is an enjoyable, fantasy adventure that will take you by surprise. It reminds us that villains are easily misunderstood and may have a reason why they do terrible things. It's worth watching again and again. I'll give it 3.9 stars out of 5 because of the CGI slips.
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Thumbnail Image, Fair Use Other Images are screenshots from the movie
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