Damsel

Millie Bobby Brown fights a dragon, but can’t vanquish a bad script in this lackluster fantasy

Millie Bobby Brown searches for a better script in her Netflix fantasy Damsel.

Elodie (Millie Bobby Brown) is preparing for another harsh winter. She and her family live in a northern kingdom where the people are starving and life is harsh. So when a royal emissary from a kingdom no one’s ever heard of emerges from the snow, it seems like a lifeline to Elodie and her family.

These mysterious royals are in need of a princess, and they heard Elodie was a pretty girl from a nice family. The emissary literally says “She’ll do”. And with that glowing declaration, Elodie’s father prepares to send her to live with strangers in a big palace.

For her part, Elodie is practical about the situation. She understands she’s being sold for money, but also that her people desperately need funds and supplies to make it through the harsh season. She hopes the prince will be an OK sort and that they’ll eventually like each other.

That hope is dashed, however, when Elodie is chucked off a ledge on her wedding day. It seems the kingdom has a deal with a dragon — each generation must feed the dragon three princesses or the dragon will incinerate the royal family. Elodie, unfortunately, is now part of that bargain.

Can Elodie find a way out of the dragon’s lair without being eaten? And will she forgive her family if she does?

A half-baked girl-power fantasy flick, Damsel’s heart is in the right place, even if its story and effects aren’t. Director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo chops together generic fantasy tropes and locales with some truly gnarly-looking CGI to create a background noise film that might appeal to tweens. It’s impressive that Millie Bobby Brown is using her Netflix development deal to experiment in varying genres and tell empowering stories. But this film feels like Brown watched 5 episodes of Game of Thrones and asked her team to find her a dragon girl script.

Nothing seems thought out. The kingdoms are vague, one is snowy and one has green fields — and that’s all you’re getting. Considering a good half of the movie is set up, it’s almost impressive how little information they give the audience. The dragon itself doesn’t make much sense. She’s fine snacking on three girls every generation and that’s it? Does she eat in between generations? Does she ever leave her lair? Why would she put up with these people who moved in and built a kingdom on her land? Why does Elodie redo her makeup before her big revenge push — and why does a revenge push require a “sexy” makeover?

Still, Brown is having the time of her life snarling through a Daenerys Targaryen impression. She is often the only person on screen and manages to hold focus well, even when she’s acting through ridiculous plot points. It’s a testament to her talent that she’s able to keep the film going even as the writing stumbles and fails.  

Not so lucky is the amazing cast that is utterly wasted in this half-baked fantasy. Angela Bassett gets little to do as Elodie’s stepmother, though she tries to forge a connection with Brown on screen. Robin Wright is equally hamstrung in the role of the generic evil queen. The only person who really shines is Shohreh Aghdashloo, who voices the dragon. Aghdashloo’s smokey voice is the perfect complement to a dragon, and someone writing a well-thought-out script would be smart to snap her up for another fire-breathing role.

The biggest problem with Damsel is the potential it squanders. There’s a charming star, a stacked cast, and lots of little plot threads that are intriguing but dropped. You know a movie is boring when you start constructing a more interesting narrative in your head. If you’re looking for a fun and modern fantasy, Dungeons & Dragons is available to stream on Paramount+ or MGM+. If you want to bond with your tween over Millie Bobby Brown’s rizz, then Damsel is probably worth 2-ish hours of Kirkland Brand fantasy.

Verdict: A shallow film that means well, it might make the time go faster as you fold laundry.

Damsel is rated PG-13 and is available on Netflix.