I’m a big fan of fantasy films. I’ve watched a lot of Disney princess movies and various other fantasy/sci-fi films over the years. The Princess Bride, Legend, and The Lord Of The Rings & Hobbit Trilogies come to mind. A couple of years ago a movie called Catherine Called Birdy, starring Bella Ramsey, came out on Amazon Prime. It’s a similar concept to Damsel starring Millie Bobby Brown. Even though they are similar in tone and feeling they are both pretty good.

Elodie (Millie Bobby Brown) is a princess in a kingdom that isn’t doing that well. She and her sister Floria (Brooke Carter) make the most of their meager existence, but they both want more. When some strange visitors come to their family’s castle they are curious about what it’s about. Their father King Bayford (Ray Winstone) explains that he has agreed to marry his daughter, Eloddie, to Prince Henry (Nick Robinson) of Flouria, the kingdom across the ocean. Things aren’t exactly what they seem though.

Damsel has a lot going for it besides the fact that it’s similar to Catherine Called Birdy. It has some gorgeous cinematography, especially in the kingdom of Flouria, the visual effects are astounding but I’ll talk about those when I mention the dragon more and the action scenes are pretty good. Millie Bobby Brown has turned into a pretty good young actress. I have a feeling this is going to hit a cord with a specific fan base and or demographic. Mainly young women. 

Millie Bobby Brown made a name for herself in Stranger Things as Eleven but she’s proven she’s more versatile than that. That’s not a one-note performance. Her roles in the Enola Holmes films, Godzilla vs Kong, and now here in Damsel have proven she’s a bonafide action star. She’s worked opposite Henry Cavill and others and she holds her own. I am always excited when I see her in a trailer for a new movie and Damsel was no different for me. I was pleasantly surprised at how good she is once again in an action-centric film.

The director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo  (28 Weeks Later) tends to be a director who leans towards more horror-centric films but this one has a fantasy element to it with a slight horror angle. There are some horrible moments but they are far and in between. The action is more the center of attention in this film. Scenes of Millie Bobby Brown’s character climbing jagged cliffs or running and jumping around trying to avoid the dragon are the main crux of the story.  She is an action star.

Now to that dragon, I mentioned earlier. In the review, It is a very impressive-looking dragon voiced by Shohreh Agdhashloo (House of Sand and Fog). She is amazing as this dragon looking to get its just due. Which is three princesses. That’s the deal this kingdom’s king at the time, centuries before, made with her after they killed her three baby Dragons. Brown’s character is just a little bit more than she bargained for. She’s not taking, being a tribute to food, for this dragon lying down. 

The cast in this movie is very good and it’s filled with Academy Award nominees and Emmy Award winners. Each of the main cast members take what they are given on the page and do a great job improving upon it. Some of these roles could be throw away roles but the cast of steller character actors do a lot more with their characters. Especially Bassett and Wright who played Queen Isabella of Flouria. She is a nasty woman. While Bassett  is kind and tender and caring.

Damsel takes a tried and true formula of princes and princesses and Dragons and flips it on its head. What you normally would think of regarding a fantasy film like this would be completely wrong. This script turns everything upside down. Even the stepmother Lady Bayford (Angela Bassett) is different from most stepmothers in fantasy stories. She is nice and actually cares about her two stepdaughters. It’s the king who is the more questionable parent in this story. I loved this film though for all the reasons I mentioned. I think Netflix has another Millie Bobby Brown hit on their hands.

Damsel Streams on Netflix March 8th

4 stars

Dan Skip Allen