
Netflix’s new movie “Damsel” is enacted by Billy Bobby Brown playing the character of Elodie, and she imagines herself to be a young princess who marries a wealthy foreign prince to save her starving kingdom. After thirty minutes of subtle hints, she realizes it was all staged, and she is being sacrificed to the local dragon so as to finish off with an old curse or enchantment. The next hour of her life is spent in a dark cave with almost all her clothes gone and too much screaming as she is trying to survive.
As for the communication style, it was totally horrendous. They did not give much time for the growth of the characters either. This movie offered everything including every single cliché of a fantasy movie, and it was great. I have to say though, the thrilling moments within this movie and the way it was directed and edited were to die for, and the speed was excellent too. Why should it bother them that we are made to believe there stands a kingdom whose every biome exists in a fifteen-mile radius? The recent blockbuster movies came as a total shocker considering their CGI effects. It was nice to see a well-illustrated dragon and spectacular landscapes for a change. Nothing is worse than trying to get lost in a movie, and then all of a sudden a really cheap dragon puppet appears and starts slaughtering the characters that one has grown to love.
The voice of the dragon in “Damsel”, performed by the great Shohreh Aghdashloo, was the funniest and most amazing memorable bison there was.
There are certain actors I have watched and followed for some time now and when it comes to them playing a character, I find it difficult to imagine them as someone else. For me, it is about time that Brown, who has been in the “Stranger Things” series and also featured in the “Enola” movies for the last few years, many have come to grips that she had become one of them. I mean sure, a part of the problem could have been the fact that all three, Elodie, Eleven, and Enola, bore some resemblance but Brown still not only portrayed the character but also seemed credible as a superhuman woman portraying a princess skilled at surviving terrible falls.
Paraphrasing once again the plot of the classic fairy tale, granted the writers did not change much, but the film managed to show a female character who was empowered and strong without being a man. There was though, a stereotype that they didn’t use, and that was the trope of the evil stepmother that is usually the norm. put us Kaoar Moura anyway, I hate the way this character is used so they could portray women as villains with no complexity, and of course, Angela Bassett is perfect for the role of Elodie’s mother, even though in the end she has almost no screen time. If you like fantasy movies then you will love “Damsel” as the combination of many of your favorite films is included.
This is a combination of “How to Train Your Dragon,” “Harry Potter,” and “The Hunger Games” with an epic “I am all the Jedi” from my Star Wars.
It was frustrating that those little details could have easily been corrected in order to improve the movie a million times. For a story that contained feminist subtext, Brown’s character arc was disappointing, as she was excessively sexualized for no reason at all. In the opening scene, Elodie appears to be cutting wood in full make-up, and somehow, she looks so polished from start to finish. Every 5 minutes in the dragon den she is almost naked as pieces of her gown keep falling and instead of showing how strong a woman can be, she sulks or sensually walks around the room.
Moreover, even the poster could have been much better, I believe. I mean it’s not really a sure thing, kids and adults have centuries in between ages and the plot is too graphic for younglings, but too tacky for aged audiences. When the biggest plot twist in the movie gets revealed in the trailer, half of the first thirty minutes, all I could do was roll my eyes and pray for someone to shove Elodie in a cave. That being said, for the rest of the movie, it’s almost impossible not to be on the edge of your seat.
Finally, “Damsel”: a movie that has passed the Bechdel test and one of those that delivers what was promised.
I would definitely watch this movie repeatedly because of its striking visuals and, more importantly, this film has a happy ending. Plus, it is available online so I have no trouble watching it.
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