Introduction:
I looked at a new black fantasy movie called “Damsel” to be released today that was directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo and features Millie Bobby Brown as the lead character. This movie gives a vice versa of the usual throne where the lady needs to be saved from the dragon after probably being assumed to have offended the royalty. The movie named “Damsel” is an action-adventure movie that was released on March 9th, it will be inspiring the women as well.
Release Date:
The has announced the release of “Damsel” on the 8th, of March, 2024. It will be in English but subtitled into other languages such as Spanish, French and German depending on regional market constraints. And German, making it accessible to a global audience.
Crew:
| Role | Name(s) |
|---|---|
| Director | Juan Carlos Fresnadillo |
| Producer | Joe Roth, Jeff Kirschenbaum, Chris Castaldi |
| Music Director | David Fleming |
| Story Writer | Dan Mazeau |
| Screenplay | Dan Mazeau |
| Editor | John Gilbert |
Cast:
| Character Name | Actor/Actress |
|---|---|
| Princess Elodie | Millie Bobby Brown |
| Prince Henry | Nick Robinson |
| Dragon | Shohreh Aghdashloo |
| Lady Bayford | Angela Bassett |
| Floria | Brooke Carter |
| Queen Isabelle | Robin Wright |
| Lord Bayford | Ray Winstone |
| Prince Henry’s Bride | Tasha Lim |
| Red Priestess | Manon Stieglitz |
| King Roderick | Milo Twomey |
| Knight #1 | Ulli Ackermann |
| Princess Victoria | Nicole Joseph |
| Sir Oded | Ricky Guillart |
| Local Guide | Ezra Faroque Khan |
| Princess #3 | Esther Odumade |
| Knight | Sam Sharma |
| Chamberlain | Patrice Naiambana |
| Gruff Sailor | Robert McCrea |
| Blacksmith | Elmano Sancho |
| Princess #2 | Brogan McFarlane |
| Knight | Mens-Sana Tamakloe |
| Liveried Servant | Erickson Santos Gomes |
| White | Saif Mohsen |
Story:
It was about Elodie who first agrees to the arranged marriage with a quite dreamy-looking prince: handsome and charming. Sadly her pleasures become nightmares when she awakes and realizes she is in the center of the kingdom as a sacrificial bride to a fiery-breasted dragon because of the king’s Stone Ages responsibilities. Elodie, kidnapped by her fiancé and shut in a small grotto in which she is lost, has no assistance she has somehow to fight to stay alive and to escape; she can indeed categorically reject the imposed patterns and become a heroine.
Review:
The ‘Damsel’ shot by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo with Millie Bobby Brown in the title picture – is a black and white fantasy genre which is based on the beautiful tale story of a beautiful princess Elodie who sells herself for a king’s gold for the help of the entire kingdom. A prince from the kingdom of Aurea is marrying Elodie, the girl he loves, having a very boring job and so she plans to feast her on the dragon since it is the custom.
Concerning the movie visuals, the movie has realism, indicating that the world is full of great art and good colour. However, it is of little profound character depiction and frequently uses movie cliches so that the plot is fairly predictable. Despite a good acting performance by Brown, the storyline presents her character in a dully one-dimensional way.
It is not perfect as, while the narrative connection between some segments and characters is weak, there are some awkward shifts; however, there are rather okay choreography action scenes as well as a great feature of reversing the stereotype of a helpless female protagonist. To sum up, approval for spectators who became involved in fantasy could be watched for some fun, but it will not result in getting stuck in spectators’ memories.
Positives:
- Empowering Narrative: The viewers can also notice that the movie answers the unrealistic fairy tale motives and shows a woman who becomes active and defines her life, I have to add that it is a nice and rather whimsical bonus.
- Strong Lead Performance: Millie Bobby Brown nicely plays Elodie and changes of the character from an unassuming girl to a fighter.
- Visual Effects: To a great extent the quality of the effects is high; the appearance of the dragon and its movement look remarkable, where the action scenes are enlivened by the graphic display.
Negatives:
- Predictable Elements: Despite the filmmakers’ desire to turn clichés on their heads, the viewer will find certain elements of the plot predictable.
- Character Development: Supposing there is a shortage of good characters and the creation of these characters may not be good for all the consumers especially those who like to see great characters transformed.
- Pacing Issues: It is important here to say that the movie’s pacing is rather inconsistent: while some scenes are too fast, some others are excessively slow in delivering the perception of events’ flow.
Technical Aspects:
- Direction: Juan Carlos Fresnadillo’s direction balances action and emotional depth, though the execution may not fully capitalize on the film’s potential.
- Cinematography: The cinematography captures the dark fantasy elements effectively, with striking visuals that enhance the film’s atmosphere.
- Music: The score, composed by David Fleming, complements the film’s tone, adding to the suspense and emotional weight of key scenes.
Performance:
More so, in Elodie’s part, Millie Bobby Brown did an excellent portrayal of the weakness and strength of the character. Leading her is an excellent cast of Ray Winstone, Angela Bassett, Robin Wright and so on who have done their best in the movie. However, viewers and readers may find that some characters just did not get the attention probably they needed to have.
Moviepoptime Review:
This was incredible, it is one of those where time seems to stand still (One hour and forty minutes). It was so great, it reminds me I want to watch it for the first time again it was all so unpredictable and so hooking. We find out so much as the play goes on; I never saw that as an outcome too because it is a giant twist.
Plus the look of the whole movie! I have always enjoyed Royal and fantasy themes in movies, dragons and castles and unicorns all of those creative ideas and how it was incorporated into this film are masterful, there isn’t even any CGI or green screen of course as the audience we know this but it’s surprising how seamlessly they did it.
I’ve realised a lot of films made in 2024 are not as good as those in the 2000s, all the creativity fades and all we are left with is trying to form yet another classic like this new Mean Girls or Wonka. However, this must be the best movie of 2024 and am sure if you have 1 hour and 40 minutes to spare just watch this movie for the first time. Milly, you were fantastic in this.
Conclusion:
Specifically, the movie to be entitled ‘Damsel’ will tell the viewers a modern fairy tale style mix and seems to be a stylish thrilling and even philosophically charged movie for today’s viewer. The main roles, a good show of the visual effects and a profound plot give the movie a chance to become interesting for the viewers looking forward to getting some new vision in fantastic cinema.
It would have done that lacking in the measures of the pace and characterization and yet it is an attempt to transform the figure of the damsel more deserving of being appreciated and so it makes a plus to the list of Netflix. This sort of ‘damsel’ that viewers are waiting for, is the story of survival and self-development trip of Elodie and thus is that kind of movie which will be interesting and inspiring for viewers.
Also Read: Orion and the Dark Movie Review