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Movie Review: Damsel

Damsel 2024 theater poster released into theaters and Netflix on March 8.
Damsel 2024 theater poster released into theaters and Netflix on March 8.
Netflixuk instagram page.

“Damsel” is a 2024 American dark fantasy film directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo and written by Dan Mazeau. The film has been promoted and talked about all over TikTok and Youtube. According to Netflix, in the first three days the film recorded 35.3 million views and placed number one in 79 countries. It also had 64.8 hours viewed within the same time period.

The movies plot follows Princess Elodie, played by Millie Bobby Brown, who is the daughter of Lord Bayford, who accepts a marriage proposal only to realize that she is being used to repay a royal family’s ancient depts. Now she must escape while surviving attacks from the dragon lurking in the chasm.

Millie Bobby Brown, the actress who plays Elodie, says to Netflix when reacting to the “Damsel” Trailer that, “This was a really cool foreshadowing scene. I don’t actually think I’ve ever seen a film quite like this before. It’s just like a fairytale gone wrong.”

Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle criticized Brown’s character, but praised her commitment to the role, writing “The movie could have used a little less of Brown cowering behind boulders as the flames get closer and a little more of her getting even with the people who put her in this predicament.”

On the review aggregator website Rotton Tomatoes, 56% of 106 reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.4/10. Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 46 out of 100, based on 28 critics, indicating mixed or average reviews.

In an interview with The Credits, the director, Juan Carlos Fresnadillo praises Brown’s work, “For a very long time, she’s by herself. The weight of the whole movie was on her shoulders. She did an amazing job,” he continues, “She has the capability to bring the audience into whatever she does and show in a very honest way that the character is suffering and how she’s transforming into a new woman.”

 

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