Millie Bobby Brown leads the new fantasy movie Damsel but some reviews suggest it should be thrown into a cave with a fire-breathing dragon.
With the Stranger Things, Godzilla and Enola Holmes actress heading a star-studded cast that boasts Angela Bassett, Robin Wright and Nick Robinson – and with a series of captivating trailers prior to its release – the Netflix movie Damsel promised to be an entertaining watch. That may still be the case for many viewers but critics have not taken kindly to the movie.
What is Damsel about?
Damsel follows the exploits of Elodie (Brown), a dutiful princess who agrees to marry a noble prince and become part of his illustrious royal family.
However, the fairytale wedding never happens as Elodie has been tricked into becoming a sacrifice to an ancient dragon.
Trapped in a cave with the fire-breathing beast, the young princess must rely on her own wits to survive.
Damsel soars onto Netflix on Friday, March 8, 2024.
Damsel reviews are savage
While its plot promises to be a unique subversion of ‘damsel in distress’ tropes, the movie has not been as well-received as its creators would surely have hoped.
On Rotten Tomatoes, Damsel has earned just 56% from 27 reviews, although that number could change as more reviews are collated.
While that score suggests the movie should be entertaining, if a little clunky – and is far from the damning rating earned by Madame Web – the comments in the movie’s negative reviews have been scathing.
Pramit Chatterjee of Digital Mafia Talkies said in a 1-star review: “[Millie Bobby Brown] has no screen presence whatsoever. She can’t pull off action sequences, even if her life depends on them. She shouldn’t take all the blame for it, though, because she is working with an incompetent director and a talentless writer.
IGN Movies’ Marya E. Gates 3/10 review said: “A weak script and boring performances make the Netflix fantasy film Damsel a real slog, torpedoing its attempt to be a subversive spin on classic adventure tales.”
Tim Robey of the UK’s Daily Telegraph wrote: “Rather than being any particular person’s bright idea for a girlboss fantasy revenge caper, this lousy romp was obviously hatched by an algorithm, and might just as well have been directed by AI.”
The San Francisco Chronicle’s Mick LaSalle said: “The humor here — unintentional, of course — comes from the clash between Brown’s ferocious commitment and the absolute unworthiness of what she’s committing to.”
However, it should be noted that not everyone was quite so harsh on the film.
Wendy Lee Szany of The Movie Couple said: “The movie shines the most when its focus is on Millie Bobby Brown in the dragon’s lair. The dialogue lacks depth and hinders performances. Still, Damsel is a fun film with great action, and Brown is a fantastic lead.”
And finally SuperHeroHype’s Luke Y. Thompson wrote: “If any teenage kids in the house aren’t ready yet for full-on Game of Thrones, Damsel frequently plays like a more PG-13 Daenerys origin story.”
Damsel is available to stream now on Netflix after arriving on Friday, March 8, 2024.
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