Damsel

I really didn't have very high expectations going into this, but Damsel was a blast! This was the first time I watched something starring Millie Bobby Brown since Stranger Things and she did not disappoint! She was a total badass and I hope she continues to do more sci-fi, horror, and dark fantasy roles. I thought this was going to be pretty tame as far as blood and gore goes but that too surpassed my expectation. The dragon was very well done, some great CGI throughout, and awesome cast. It had been quite some time since I last saw Ray Winstone in anything and he was great in this, as was Robin Wright. Great film, will be watching again!

I'm an avid watcher of the YouTube channel The Critical Drinker. He's a film critic who gives his reviews while pretending (I think) to be drunk. He absolutely eviscerated this movie.

However, I quite enjoyed it. It took a basic principle of the damsel in distress and added a new twist. Millie Bobbie Brown is the damsel of the title, named Elodie. She is the oldest daughter of the King Bayford (Ray Winstone). Elodie has a younger sister, Floria (Brooke Carter) and her stepmother is Lady Bayford (Angela Bassett). Their kingdom is very poor, so King Bayford betroths Elodie to Prince Henry (Nick Robinson) from a rich kingdom run by Queen Isabelle (Robin Wright). The problem is, Queen Isabelle's ancestors tangled with a nearby dragon (Persian actress Shohreh Aghdashloo provides the delicious voice of the dragon) and are forced to offer a sacrifice to the dragon in the form of a princess. By having Prince Henry marry someone from another kingdom, they can sacrifice that poor girl instead of one of their own. So, naturally, Elodie gets hurled into the dragon's lair after her wedding.

However, Elodie is not your typical damsel. She is smart, resilient and resourceful. She plays a cat and mouse game with the dragon trying to stay alive. Along the way, she discovers the truth about the dragon's history.

Ms. Brown is very good as Elodie. She does not come off as a girl boss. She is determined, scared, brave and vulnerable. Angela Bassett also has a nice turn as the stepmother who is anything but evil. Another trope twisted, as she is a fierce ally. Robin Wright is elegant and vile as Queen Isabelle who is willing to offer up innocent girls to save her kingdom.

The sets are beautiful and the action is well directed. The story moves along and is very compact so we learn everything without having to have it explained to us via exposition (a very common thing with today's writers). There is no fluff in this movie and its runtime of 110 minutes moves along quickly. The one negative in this movie is the dialogue. Its not terrible, but its not great either. Some of it is corny and some of it comes off as copied from an old folk tale. It doesn't ruin the movie, but it does make you chuckle for the wrong reasons.

I gave it a 7 because of the dialogue and some of the scenes are so dark you can't tell what's happening.

Not sure why all the hate. Is it for everybody. No. But. For what it is and intends to be. It is quite good. Elodie is not a Mary Sue. She is not perfect. Not all knowing. And. She has an arc and growing pains in her story. I will be the first to admonish companies like Disney and the Ilk for interpreting beloved characters for modern audiences. This movie does none of that. It has created a heroin that has to use her wits and smarts to win and conquer her setbacks. In a good way there are cringe lines and moments. But. For the most part. It's good writing and it serves the story. I know we have been fooled once too many times. But. This is not one of those. The acting is good for what the story needs. We need to be accepting of new takes on old stories. As long as they don't try to change a beloved story or character to push their message or what their beliefs are. Again. Not for everyone. It is enjoyable.

Damsel really isn't as subversive as it thinks it is and takes way too long to get going, wasting the first 30 minutes on a twist so obvious the trailer didn't even bother to hide it. Once it actually gets to the central idea of cat and mouse between a Princess and a Dragon it's a lot stronger, powering through on the momentum of the endless chase.

Despite a few big names in the supporting cast, Millie Bobby Brown really carries this. There's some really clunky lines of dialogue here and she delivers them with enough conviction to make them work. Shohreh Aghdashloo voicing the Dragon is inspired casting that really helps it get going after the weak opening.

Juan Carlos Fresnadillo's direction does a lot to help this Netflix original come closer to looking like a real movie compared to a lot of what's come before. It essentially spends the entire run time alternating between some solid sets, locations and distractingly low quality CG with some good individual set pieces and ideas which remind you this is the director of 28 Weeks Later.

I'll be honest I am not the target audience of this film whatsoever. I only ended up giving it a chance, was due to its relatively good trailer that made me very intrigued.

I didn't have any expectations going in, hope for the best but expect the worst. Overall this film is decent. It's not splitting the atom and not gonna redefine cinema in anyway however it does its job. Good acting, easy story to follow, great CGI and production design plus finishes in under 2 hours.

Off topic but if this isn't an audition for playing Wonder Woman in the future, I don't know what is. I thought Millie Bobby Brown was very comfortable and believable in this lead role. More action centric roles in the future?

60% out of 100, its not just Netflix trying to be Disney, there is a bit more to it. With the correct target audience this film will blow up probably. Not every film needs to be pushing the boundaries. This one certainly stays in it's lane and delivers a solid product.