User reviews

Fantasy isn't my favorite genre, but I thought this one was a lot of fun. LOTR or Willow it is not. I highly doubt it will stand the test of time because it lacks the depth and complexity of great fantasy movies. Even so, it was (for me, anyway) a nail-biter and a perfect low-investment, high-velocity movie for a night when you just want pure entertainment. There are a few missteps that made me roll my eyes a bit, such as Brown's overdone makeup, but I wasn't expecting great art. My only regret is that I watched it right before bedtime, because it was so exciting that I had a hard time falling asleep and sleeping deeply.

I don't really understand why people expect masterpieces from every new movie release.

Damsel is fun, entertaining, special effects are really good, better than latest summer blockbusters with bigger budgets (despite what IGN says) and the plot delivers exactly what it sells. This is not an indie Oscar Winner movie and it doesn't pretend to be neither.

Stop trying to look for art in everything, like there are Bethoveen masterpieces and Tomorrowland EDM music to just jump around there are also movies to admire with all your senses and movies to enjoy on a Sunday evening.

The movie is good and it doesn't deserve to be bashed because people were looking for another Schindler's List on it.

Damsel really isn't as subversive as it thinks it is and takes way too long to get going, wasting the first 30 minutes on a twist so obvious the trailer didn't even bother to hide it. Once it actually gets to the central idea of cat and mouse between a Princess and a Dragon it's a lot stronger, powering through on the momentum of the endless chase.

Despite a few big names in the supporting cast, Millie Bobby Brown really carries this. There's some really clunky lines of dialogue here and she delivers them with enough conviction to make them work. Shohreh Aghdashloo voicing the Dragon is inspired casting that really helps it get going after the weak opening.

Juan Carlos Fresnadillo's direction does a lot to help this Netflix original come closer to looking like a real movie compared to a lot of what's come before. It essentially spends the entire run time alternating between some solid sets, locations and distractingly low quality CG with some good individual set pieces and ideas which remind you this is the director of 28 Weeks Later.

Not sure why all the hate. Is it for everybody. No. But. For what it is and intends to be. It is quite good. Elodie is not a Mary Sue. She is not perfect. Not all knowing. And. She has an arc and growing pains in her story. I will be the first to admonish companies like Disney and the Ilk for interpreting beloved characters for modern audiences. This movie does none of that. It has created a heroin that has to use her wits and smarts to win and conquer her setbacks. In a good way there are cringe lines and moments. But. For the most part. It's good writing and it serves the story. I know we have been fooled once too many times. But. This is not one of those. The acting is good for what the story needs. We need to be accepting of new takes on old stories. As long as they don't try to change a beloved story or character to push their message or what their beliefs are. Again. Not for everyone. It is enjoyable.

You get what's promised: a well produced movie centered on the struggle between a princess with a strong sense of honor and the dragon to whom she was to be sacrificed.

The timing and pace of the story is well balanced. A straight forward simple plot, basic dialogue, and surface-level only character development in keeping with the kind of fairy tale stories it is based with a little twist on the old tales in that the princess finds her own strength and makes her own choices.

Locations, sets, costuming and CGI were all well done and everyone delivered solid performances.

It's not "Reign of Fire", more like a "Snow White", so don't overthink it or expect anything groundbreaking and just watch an entertaining movie.

I'm an avid watcher of the YouTube channel The Critical Drinker. He's a film critic who gives his reviews while pretending (I think) to be drunk. He absolutely eviscerated this movie.

However, I quite enjoyed it. It took a basic principle of the damsel in distress and added a new twist. Millie Bobbie Brown is the damsel of the title, named Elodie. She is the oldest daughter of the King Bayford (Ray Winstone). Elodie has a younger sister, Floria (Brooke Carter) and her stepmother is Lady Bayford (Angela Bassett). Their kingdom is very poor, so King Bayford betroths Elodie to Prince Henry (Nick Robinson) from a rich kingdom run by Queen Isabelle (Robin Wright). The problem is, Queen Isabelle's ancestors tangled with a nearby dragon (Persian actress Shohreh Aghdashloo provides the delicious voice of the dragon) and are forced to offer a sacrifice to the dragon in the form of a princess. By having Prince Henry marry someone from another kingdom, they can sacrifice that poor girl instead of one of their own. So, naturally, Elodie gets hurled into the dragon's lair after her wedding.

However, Elodie is not your typical damsel. She is smart, resilient and resourceful. She plays a cat and mouse game with the dragon trying to stay alive. Along the way, she discovers the truth about the dragon's history.

Ms. Brown is very good as Elodie. She does not come off as a girl boss. She is determined, scared, brave and vulnerable. Angela Bassett also has a nice turn as the stepmother who is anything but evil. Another trope twisted, as she is a fierce ally. Robin Wright is elegant and vile as Queen Isabelle who is willing to offer up innocent girls to save her kingdom.

The sets are beautiful and the action is well directed. The story moves along and is very compact so we learn everything without having to have it explained to us via exposition (a very common thing with today's writers). There is no fluff in this movie and its runtime of 110 minutes moves along quickly. The one negative in this movie is the dialogue. Its not terrible, but its not great either. Some of it is corny and some of it comes off as copied from an old folk tale. It doesn't ruin the movie, but it does make you chuckle for the wrong reasons.

I gave it a 7 because of the dialogue and some of the scenes are so dark you can't tell what's happening.

If you don't like Fantasy movies this one isn't one for you but if you're easily entertained by dragons and such Damsel is worth a watch. I like that kind of stuff so I was entertained. Millie Bobby Brown is still a young actress and since the excellent series Stranger Things it's obvious she will get a lot of roles in the future. She's definitely eye candy and isn't a bad actress. The movie is mostly about her so she has a lot of screen time. The special effects and CGI's were of good quality. The story is simple and easy to follow. You just have to be a fan of the Fantasy genre otherwise you won't like this movie. It's fun to watch in my opinion.

You know what. I liked it. Was it a masterpiece? Nope not at all. But not every movie needs to be. Some days you just want to be entertained and this movie does the trick. Sure it was corny and predictable, but sometimes you want that in a film.

But it also held my attention for the entire run time - which is kinda impressive considering my short attention span (normally I'd be on my phone after the first 30mins or so).

Plus the dragon was brilliant. I loved everything about it. It's design and animation was cool and Shohreh Aghdashloo's voice was perfect fit for the dragon - Gravelly, but still matronly and feminine.

If you like female heroines kicking butt, dragons, fantasy and pretty special effects and just want some mindless entertainment - give it a try.

I didn't expect much from this movie, but wow, was I pleasantly surprised. Granted, the sorry is fairly simple and somewhat shallow, but the action is incredible. The cinematography is fantastic and the special effects are phenomenal. Everything is seemless. Director Fresnadillo did a masterful job. I fell in love with both Elodie and the Dragon. (Millie Bobby Brown is much better here than in that lame role as Eleven in Stranger Things!) And if you find yourself rooting for the Dragon, don't give up! Not sure I like the very end, but I can't come up with a better ending myself, so I'm quite satisfied.

I don't recommend watching this with very young children.

Watching any episode of Xena: Warrior Princess is more entertaining and fun than this - a most stupid plot that is nothing but a melting pot of well-known ideas with twists one sees miles ahead. This is truly a most mediocre movie, a more or less soulless rehash of well-known and overused stories, woven together without much skill and intelligence, creativity. Anyway, Damsel is like too many movies these days - produced, directed, and written by people without any heart for the art of movie-making. It's no more art but work. What else? Production and acting are sufficient, special effects meandering between solid and rather bad computer game cinematic. Final words, Damsel is boring, redundant, generic, and as plastic as it gets - not one character one really cares about, because, well, they are all just a copy of a copy of a copy. And the revelation or twist in the end is so predictable, that it is really just lame: a couple of days ago I put Krull again on my plate - it's (almost) Citizen Kane compared to Damsel. Exact rate: 3.5.

I'll be honest I am not the target audience of this film whatsoever. I only ended up giving it a chance, was due to its relatively good trailer that made me very intrigued.

I didn't have any expectations going in, hope for the best but expect the worst. Overall this film is decent. It's not splitting the atom and not gonna redefine cinema in anyway however it does its job. Good acting, easy story to follow, great CGI and production design plus finishes in under 2 hours.

Off topic but if this isn't an audition for playing Wonder Woman in the future, I don't know what is. I thought Millie Bobby Brown was very comfortable and believable in this lead role. More action centric roles in the future?

60% out of 100, its not just Netflix trying to be Disney, there is a bit more to it. With the correct target audience this film will blow up probably. Not every film needs to be pushing the boundaries. This one certainly stays in it's lane and delivers a solid product.

A movie with a princess and a dragon. A really simple story, so i had low expectations, but they were exceeded at almost every aspect.

First of all, the dragon. My god, the dragon was pure perfection. Best design and CGI i have seen for a dragon, and that includes GoT. Amazing.

The atmosphere was also spot on. Especially with how the backstory worked out to be. The dressing department also needs a raise. I also loved that there were moments of gore that i did not expect this type of movie to have. Thank god that directors are starting to let their movies have a more realistic tone.

Millie was pretty good, not great but also not bad. When she acts like a heroine she pretty much nails it, but when she acts like a normal person i find her a bit too bland. The father and the queen mother were also pretty good, everyone else was okayish.

It is a great movie for an evening that you want to get lost to a (quite dark) fairytale story. I recommend it for sure!

A fairy-tale setup makes for an interesting premise.. sadly, it feels as dense as a page.

The over abundance of groaning and walking, and not much else for a large portion of the script.. plus a noticeable lack of engrossing dialogue, interactions and wit, make for quite a dull film. It is as predictable as it is slow to get going, but I at least enjoyed the production and visuals throughout! The cast is okay, and nothing else. This would make for an excellent short, where many elements are trimmed (the "Augur of Ebrietas" slugs).. as most characters are as simplistic and shallow as shown immediately after their quick introductions, so the rest of the story would remain intact.

Personally, I don't appreciate movies that have little to nothing to say.

Yeah this was a fun old fantasy, subverting the usual tropes - kind of. A strong cast round out Millie's establishing star power. Mind you the ham is almost panto level acting occasionally and script chat GTP generic, the movie could most certainly done with a bit more self awareness - hell it even had the OG princess bride in it hamming up the badness. Not a joke in sight other than some smarmy lines. The movie was quite uneven with scenes you'd have thought that cgi looks pretty good then scenes it most certainly did not. In the end however there were some good ideas and well executed scenes, and the movie galloped along - while there could have been more scope to highlight the more interesting dark side of the tale which would have made a distinct memorable movie, still a decent Netflix and chill.

I had no expectations for this and found that I enjoyed it. Starts with the seemingly basic fairytale storyline of a family marrying off their daughter to better their kingdom.....seems all well and good but you quickly realize there is more to it. I enjoyed the cinematography, even the cgi and liked the dragon. I feel like I can watch Millie in just about anything...she just has that quality and I love watching her. Yes, it's one of those, how the hell is she going to get out of this type deals....but I was entertained and loved the dark ambiance. I also liked the ending. All in all, worth the watch.

Netflixes new offering, damsel is a pretty good all around fantasy movie. It has a bit of everything be it an intense dram that builds tension then we also get an almost thriller. Billie bobby brown is back for the first time since enola holms and she plays Elodie. I don't think she's a bad actress and she can believable but she does seem to not fit her character in ways. Side note it was nice to see Ray Winston again acting. Elodie is taken by her father to a castle to get married. But on her wedding day young Elodie finds herself in a dark place being forced to fight against a dragon to escape and uncover the truth. I liked the story telling her and it was a good little film that familys and adults can joy with a good cast and the action overall is worth watching too.

In 'Damsel', Princess Elodie (Millie Bobby Brown) comes from a poor kingdom at the edge of starvation. Her marriage to Prince Henry of a rich but heretofore unknown kingdom may turn the fortune of Elodie's kingdom, and it seems that love may even develop between the two royals. Yet as Elodie's wedding progresses, it turns out that her new family's kingdom holds a terrible secret involving a deadly pact with a dragon made ages ago... From a technical standpoint, 'Damsel' is a fantastic movie. The actors are doing a fantastic job, especially Millie Bobby Brown as our heroine (who, as we are reminded in the opening narration, is not the classic damsel). The direction is top notch, the soundtrack is atmospheric, the visuals are stunning, and both the set and costume design are flawless.

Unfortunately, a movie can only be as good as the story it tells, and that is where 'Damsel' falls flat. The premise makes, simply put, absolutely no sense. Even ignoring that, the movie relies on Deus Ex Machina after Deus Ex Machina to let the protagonist survive her terrible ordeal, absolutely no one has any lick of common sense, and the screenwriters clearly were not overly familiar with the concept of logic.

That being said, 'Damsel' is still a fun and entertaining movie; you just have to turn off your brains to watch it. There is the movie 'The Princess' (2022), which also follows the "princess bride turns out to be a kick-ass warrior" plot line, but that one knows not to take itself seriously at all. Netflix should've taken a cue from Hulu for once.

One last note because apparently now we need to do these things: while 'Damsel' certainly has a feminist and diversity slant, I (as a straight white guy) did not find this in any way excessive or absurd. Sure, the protagonist is a strong female. I don't think you get to complain about this part when watching a movie that literally has a sword-wielding woman on the cover. If the protagonist had been a weak female, she would've died after five minutes, and that would've been a rather poor movie, wouldn't it?

Movies are meant for entertainment; if not for the same purpose, then why bother with them in the first place?

This movie is not based on a well-known fairy tale, but it surely feels like one. I am surprised to see some very harsh reviews labeling it as lame, but I found the movie very interesting, thrilling, and entertaining.

Some claim it was predictable; well, one can predict the end, but not how the movie will approach it.

Millie Bobby Brown, from Stranger Things to Godzilla to Enola Holmes and now this, is not only improving but delivering stronger performances one after another.

It's beautiful, it's nice, and it's full of excitement. Do watch.

I'm not a target audience for this film but I still watched it out of curiosity. I wanted to know in what direction will Millie go this time, but she went the same way. It feels like all of her Netflix movies are the same and yes you can argue about genres and plot but with Enola and now this all of her characters are very, almost impossibly strong and unbeatable no matter in what circumstance they are under. The characters that she plays are way too same and unrealistic. This is not to upset Millie or her fans. I think Millie is very talented, but she also has to be open for more diverse and complex roles. The movie was okay, I guess, I think younger girls will enjoy it more.