Damsel on Netflix

Damsel hits Netflix streaming on March 8th. Millie Bobby Brown and dragons? Who could say no to that? This fantasy film from writer Dan Mazeau and director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo needed more though. A lot more.

DAMSEL is rated PG-13 for sequences of strong creature violence, action, and bloody images

SYNOPSIS: A dutiful damsel (Millie Bobby Brown) agrees to marry a handsome prince, only to find the royal family has recruited her as a sacrifice to repay an ancient debt. Thrown into a cave with a fire-breathing dragon, she must rely on her wits and will to survive.

This is Fresnadillo’s first time directing anything memorable since 2007’s 28 Weeks Later. Dan Mazeau’s writing resume is Fast X. The caliber of acting talent in this cast, and the super cool premise deserved a stronger and more seasoned staff to lead. There is a reason this did not see the light of day in theaters.

That frustration being said, kicking back on your couch watching Brown survive against a dragon is worth the monthly streaming fee. The story is straight forward and at times seems very rushed. The filmmakers were so excited to get to the dragon part they squandered what could have been so me very well laid out early moments.

We meet Elodie (Millie Bobby Brown) and her sister in what looks and feels like the backlot from Frozen. Point of fact, Elodie and her sister Floria (Brooke Carter) could be Elsa and Anna is another dimension. We find that their village is starving and Elodie marrying this prince would save them all. We jump very quickly to the palace which is bountiful and lush to meet the prince and hurry to the wedding. No real character development or relationship depth. Just hurry and get to the dragon!

Obviously we all know what is coming so maybe they felt like we didn’t care about the rest. pssst, we cared. Once Elodie is tossed to the dragon – literally – the movie should find its groove. But it does not. Millie Bobby Brown fights hard to save herself and this movie. She again proves fearless in how she tackles a role. It is easy to forget how young she is. Brown also was an Executive Producer on this project, which upped her need for success.

The cast of this film includes Angela Bassett, Robin Wright, Ray Winstone, and Shohreh Aghdashloo as the voice of The Dragon. With that sort of star power you would expect some incredible moments. Minus a couple of well delivered lines, they are all underutilized. The last act has some nice dragon action, and increased peril but is still wrought with the same misguided direction and writing.

Let’s end all of this with one positive. The dragon looks fantastic. Unless they found a real one somewhere, it is as lifelike as I have seen. So, if you want a dragon movie I guess this will suffice.

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