Damsel (C+ or 2/4 stars)
Stranger Things' Millie Bobby Brown stars as a free-spirited young woman must fight a ferocious dragon to save her life in 'Damsel', a Netflix action/fantasy movie directed by Spanish filmmaker, Juan Carlos Fresnadillo. Brown plays Elodie, who lives in the snowy North with her beloved nobleman father, Lord Bayford (Ray Winstone), resourceful step-mother, Lady Bayford (Angela Bassett), & her sweet little sister, Floria (Brooke Carter). They are struggling in a land where the impoverished population is in great need of $$ to survive the harsh winters. Fortunes look to change when, one day, icy Queen Isabelle from a faraway kingdom sends her handsome son, Prince Henry (Nick Robinson), to ask Elodie for her hand in marriage.
Untrustworthy Queen Isabelle offers up a dowry to Elodie if she were to accept Henry's hand; as a bonus, Elodie & Henry hit it off. But matters don't seem quiiiite right when they arrive via ship - through a frightening, fog-laden, dragon-themed portal, to the kingdom. Lady Bayford tries desperately to warn Elodie off of this union, but she goes through with it anyway - with the blessing of her dad {who seems to know more that meets the eye}. What follows is a bizarre wedding ceremony that precedes an ancient ritual. In short, Elodie becomes a 'damsel in distress' as she is thrown into a cave to appease a vengeful fire-breathing dragon (wonderfully voiced by Shohreh Aghdashloo) so that she won't prey on Queen Isabelle's kingdom. With no happy ever after in sight and, with nary a male hero in sight ... it's up to young Elodie to fight in any way possible to save her life, and that of her family.
'Damsel' is QUITE the hit-&-miss affair. From Stranger Things to Enola Holmes, the talented Millie Bobby Brown is one of the consistent 'hits' of this film. Brown imbues her Elodie with strength, wits & resolve -- the titular damsel in distress who can only rely on herself to be saved. The supporting cast is strong - on paper - but reliable veterans like Angela Bassett, Robin Wright & Ray Winstone deserve better written characters with more proverbial flesh on the bones. One of the 'misses' of the film, for me, were the pains it takes to make its feminist message clear -- it's just a bit too on the nose, throughout.
The crafts are also hit-&-miss. Some of the special effects are great {the miraculous healing glow worms; the dragon; the dragon whilst flying}. But some of the effects are quite shoddy; where the CGI images are so obviously green-screened that it takes you out of the proceedings. The ornate costumes are mighty impressive. But the production design is verrrrry cheap-looking {those caves ... my goodness}. The suspense of what Elodie is going through fluctuates btwn. kinetic & lacking. And a lot of the action felt verrrrry video gamey -- me no likey.
I also couldn't get a grasp for who this faerie tale story is for. It is WAY too violent for little kids {innocent animals perish; humans are obliterated by the murderous dragon; the idea that one's parent is okay with sacrificing their child}. At the same time, the story & execution is too shallow & simplistic for adults. I like the overarching theme that one {in this case, a female} can persevere by relying on their own self to survive a terrible situation. But despite the game performances & entertaining action/fantasy elements, the movie is just too superficial, soulless, & off-putting to warrant much recommendation.
Untrustworthy Queen Isabelle offers up a dowry to Elodie if she were to accept Henry's hand; as a bonus, Elodie & Henry hit it off. But matters don't seem quiiiite right when they arrive via ship - through a frightening, fog-laden, dragon-themed portal, to the kingdom. Lady Bayford tries desperately to warn Elodie off of this union, but she goes through with it anyway - with the blessing of her dad {who seems to know more that meets the eye}. What follows is a bizarre wedding ceremony that precedes an ancient ritual. In short, Elodie becomes a 'damsel in distress' as she is thrown into a cave to appease a vengeful fire-breathing dragon (wonderfully voiced by Shohreh Aghdashloo) so that she won't prey on Queen Isabelle's kingdom. With no happy ever after in sight and, with nary a male hero in sight ... it's up to young Elodie to fight in any way possible to save her life, and that of her family.
'Damsel' is QUITE the hit-&-miss affair. From Stranger Things to Enola Holmes, the talented Millie Bobby Brown is one of the consistent 'hits' of this film. Brown imbues her Elodie with strength, wits & resolve -- the titular damsel in distress who can only rely on herself to be saved. The supporting cast is strong - on paper - but reliable veterans like Angela Bassett, Robin Wright & Ray Winstone deserve better written characters with more proverbial flesh on the bones. One of the 'misses' of the film, for me, were the pains it takes to make its feminist message clear -- it's just a bit too on the nose, throughout.
The crafts are also hit-&-miss. Some of the special effects are great {the miraculous healing glow worms; the dragon; the dragon whilst flying}. But some of the effects are quite shoddy; where the CGI images are so obviously green-screened that it takes you out of the proceedings. The ornate costumes are mighty impressive. But the production design is verrrrry cheap-looking {those caves ... my goodness}. The suspense of what Elodie is going through fluctuates btwn. kinetic & lacking. And a lot of the action felt verrrrry video gamey -- me no likey.
I also couldn't get a grasp for who this faerie tale story is for. It is WAY too violent for little kids {innocent animals perish; humans are obliterated by the murderous dragon; the idea that one's parent is okay with sacrificing their child}. At the same time, the story & execution is too shallow & simplistic for adults. I like the overarching theme that one {in this case, a female} can persevere by relying on their own self to survive a terrible situation. But despite the game performances & entertaining action/fantasy elements, the movie is just too superficial, soulless, & off-putting to warrant much recommendation.