DAMSEL (2024)
Story is about a young woman named Elodie (Millie Bobby Brown) the daughter of Lord Bayford (Ray Winstone) who presides over a land fallen on hard times. Bayford gets an offer from King Roderick (Milo Twomey) and Queen Isabelle (Robin Wright) of the prosperous kingdom of Aurea for Elodie to marry their son Prince Henry (Nick Robinson) in exchange for enough money to save Bayford’s lands. Elodie finds out too late that the marriage is a deception, and she is to be used as a sacrifice to appease an angry dragon. Thrown into its lair, Elodie chooses not to be a damsel in distress but fights to stay alive and somehow find a way to escape or destroy the monster.
This young lady is no Damsel in distress!
Netflix streaming flick is directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo from a script by Dan Mazeau and is a solid dark fantasy/adventure. There is a lot of action and cat and mouse chases with the dragon toying with Elodie and Elodie not playing games. There are some grim moments, and the FX are very good as are the sets and costumes. The cast is also good with vets like Winstone playing the honorable but beleaguered Bayford, Wright as the traditional wicked queen and Brown making a very strong and resilient heroine as Elodie. The dragon also has enough presence and personality as voiced by actress Shohreh Aghdashloo. All in all, it’s no classic but is an entertaining and satisfying adventure for a night of streaming on the couch. Also stars Angela Bassett as Lady Bayford, Elodie’s stepmother.
-MonsterZero NJ
Photo: Netflix
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