DAMSEL (2024) – A Bold Reimagining of the Fairy Tale Heroine

Get ready for a thrilling twist on the classic fairy tale! Damsel (2024) is a dark fantasy adventure that flips the damsel-in-distress trope on its head, delivering a fierce, female-led story of survival and empowerment. Directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo and starring Millie Bobby Brown, this Netflix original premiered on March 8, 2024, captivating audiences with its stunning visuals, intense action, and a powerful performance from its young lead. Streaming exclusively on Netflix, Damsel has already made waves, amassing 143 million views by June 2024, making it the platform’s most-watched film for the first half of the year. Here’s a comprehensive dive into this gripping tale of courage, betrayal, and triumph.

Release Date and Production Updates

Damsel was initially slated to stream on Netflix on October 13, 2023, but the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike delayed promotion efforts, pushing the release to March 8, 2024. The film was directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, known for 28 Weeks Later (2007), and written by Dan Mazeau (Wrath of the Titans), with additional literary contributions from Emily Ballou and Mark Bomback. Produced by Joe Roth and Jeff Kirschenbaum under Roth Kirschenbaum Films, the movie had a reported budget of $60–70 million. Principal photography took place from February to July 2022, with filming in London at Troubadour Meridian Water Studios for cave scenes and in Portugal at locations like Tomar, Sortelha, Serra da Estrela, and the Batalha Monastery. The dragon, a standout feature, was designed by Patrick Tatopoulos, with a score composed by David Fleming and produced by Hans Zimmer. A novelization by Evelyn Skye, published by Penguin Random House on April 18, 2023, offers a unique take on the story, diverging slightly from the screenplay to create a distinct yet complementary narrative.

Cast: A Talented Ensemble

The cast of Damsel brings depth to its fairy-tale world, led by a standout performance from its star:

• Millie Bobby Brown stars as Elodie, a resourceful and courageous princess who transforms from a dutiful daughter into a fierce survivor. Brown, also an executive producer, delivers a physically and emotionally demanding performance, showcasing her range beyond Stranger Things and Enola Holmes.
• Ray Winstone plays Lord Bayford, Elodie’s father, whose decision to marry her off carries heavy consequences. His nuanced portrayal adds complexity to a morally conflicted character.
• Angela Bassett portrays Lady Bayford, Elodie’s stepmother, who brings warmth and skepticism to the royal arrangement. Bassett’s commanding presence elevates her supporting role.
• Robin Wright embodies Queen Isabelle, the cunning matriarch of Aurea, whose sinister motives drive the story’s dark turn. Wright leans into the role with delicious wickedness.
• Nick Robinson plays Prince Henry, the charming but ultimately duplicitous prince, whose role subverts traditional fairy-tale expectations.
• Shohreh Aghdashloo voices the Dragon, a catlike, fire-breathing creature with a smoky, menacing tone. Aghdashloo’s performance adds depth to the beast, revealing its own tragic history.
• Brooke Carter shines as Floria, Elodie’s younger sister, whose innocence amplifies the story’s emotional stakes.

The diverse cast, reflecting princesses from various ethnicities, underscores the film’s inclusive approach, though some critics noted this as a calculated nod to modern sensibilities.

Plot: A Survival Tale with a Feminist Edge

Damsel opens with a defiant declaration: “There are many stories of chivalry where the heroic knight saves the damsel in distress. This is not one of them.” The film begins centuries after a failed attempt by Aurea’s first king to slay a dragon (voiced by Aghdashloo), setting the stage for a grim tradition. Elodie (Brown), the spirited daughter of Lord Bayford, lives in a struggling, snowy kingdom. When Queen Isabelle of Aurea proposes that Elodie marry her son, Prince Henry, with a dowry to save her people, Elodie reluctantly agrees at her father’s urging. After a whirlwind courtship and a lavish wedding, Elodie is led to a mountain ceremony to “honor Henry’s ancestors.” There, she’s betrayed—tossed into a chasm as a sacrificial offering to appease the dragon, a ritual to repay an ancient debt.

Trapped in the dragon’s lair, Elodie must rely on her wits and resilience to survive. She transforms her ornate wedding gown into a survival kit, sharpening a corset busk into a dagger and using fabric for protection, navigating treacherous caves filled with bio-luminescent worms, skeletal remains, and the names of past victims carved into the walls. As she faces the dragon’s relentless pursuit, Elodie uncovers the truth behind Aurea’s pact and the dragon’s rage, revealing a story of colonization and betrayal. The narrative shifts from a Cinderella-like setup to a survival thriller akin to Die Hard in a cave, with Elodie’s ingenuity and courage taking center stage. The film’s feminist twist—emphasizing self-reliance and sisterhood—culminates in a climactic showdown that redefines the fairy-tale ending, though some critics found the final act predictable and overly reliant on YA tropes.

The dragon, a highlight, is both terrifying and tragic, with a slender, catlike design and magma-like fire breath. Its interactions with Elodie, voiced with chilling gravitas by Aghdashloo, add emotional weight, though some felt its full reveal diminished its mystique. The film’s 1-hour-47-minute runtime balances suspense, horror, and action, though pacing issues and repetitive cave sequences drew mixed reactions.

Director and Creative Vision

Juan Carlos Fresnadillo brings a gritty, visceral style to Damsel, drawing on his horror roots from 28 Weeks Later. His direction emphasizes Elodie’s physical and emotional journey, using the cave system to create a claustrophobic, immersive experience. The film’s visuals, blending Portugal’s majestic landscapes with digital environments, evoke a classic fairy-tale grandeur, though some CGI, particularly in wide shots, was criticized as cheap-looking. The dragon’s design by Patrick Tatopoulos and the atmospheric score by David Fleming enhance the film’s dark fantasy tone. Fresnadillo and writer Dan Mazeau aimed to subvert fairy-tale conventions, crafting a “taut, contained thriller” that prioritizes Elodie’s agency over traditional rescue narratives. However, critics noted that the script’s feminist themes, while admirable, sometimes felt heavy-handed or underdeveloped, with colonial undertones left unexplored.

Why It Matters

Damsel stands out in the crowded fantasy genre for its bold reworking of fairy-tale tropes, presenting a heroine who saves herself in a world where princes and kings fail her. Millie Bobby Brown’s commanding performance, carrying much of the film alone, showcases her as a rising action star at just 20 years old. The film’s inclusive casting and focus on female empowerment resonate with modern audiences, though some felt it leaned too heavily into corporate-driven progressivism. Its PG-13 rating allows it to appeal to teens and adults, balancing graphic violence—burns, stabbings, and animal deaths—with a lack of sexual content or strong language, making it a family-friendly yet intense watch.

With 143 million views in its first four months, Damsel proved a streaming juggernaut, topping Netflix charts in 79 countries. Its success highlights Netflix’s ability to deliver high-concept, star-driven originals, even if critical reception was mixed, with a 56% Tomatometer score and 59% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Fans praised its visuals, Brown’s performance, and horror elements, while detractors called it predictable and shallow. For fantasy and horror fans, it’s a refreshing, if imperfect, addition to the genre, offering a female-led adventure that echoes The Princess (2022) or Legend (1985) with a modern twist.

Where to Catch Up

Damsel is available to stream exclusively on Netflix, accessible worldwide since March 8, 2024. To dive deeper, read Evelyn Skye’s novelization, available on Penguin Random House or major retailers, for a different perspective on Elodie’s journey. For context, watch Fresnadillo’s 28 Weeks Later on Hulu or explore Brown’s Enola Holmes series on Netflix to appreciate her action-hero evolution. Follow Netflix’s Tudum for behind-the-scenes content, and check fan discussions on Reddit’s r/horror or r/netflix for community reactions. A teaser trailer and additional clips are available on Netflix’s YouTube channel, offering a glimpse of the dragon’s lair and Elodie’s fight.

Brace yourself for a fairy tale where the princess wields the sword. Damsel is a thrilling, if flawed, adventure that proves no one saves Elodie but herself.

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Sources: Netflix Tudum, IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert, Variety, Common Sense Media, Reddit, What’s on Netflix, Wikipedia, and posts on X.