Damsel (2024 film)

Last updated

Damsel
Damsel 2024 poster2.jpg
Film poster
Directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo
Written by Dan Mazeau
Produced by
Starring
Cinematography Larry Fong
Edited by John Gilbert
Music by David Fleming
Production
company
Distributed by Netflix
Release date
  • March 8, 2024 (2024-03-08)
Running time
110 minutes [1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Damsel is a 2024 American dark fantasy film directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo and written by Dan Mazeau. Millie Bobby Brown stars as Elodie, a young woman who accepts a marriage proposal only to realize that she is being used to repay a royal family's ancient debts and must now escape while surviving attacks from the dragon lurking in the chasm. The rest of the principal cast consists of Ray Winstone, Nick Robinson, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Angela Bassett, and Robin Wright.

Contents

Damsel began streaming on Netflix to mixed reviews on March 8, 2024.

Plot

The first king of Aurea leads a futile attack on a dragon residing in his realm. All the king's men are killed, leaving the king at the Dragon's mercy.

Centuries later, Elodie, the daughter of Lord Bayford, receives a proposal from Queen Isabelle of Aurea to marry her son, Prince Henry. On her father's urging, Elodie agrees to the marriage so her bride price can help their impoverished people. Upon arriving in Aurea, Elodie and Henry are initially uninterested in each other, but begin to bond as they share a desire to travel. Elodie's stepmother, Lady Bayford, becomes suspicious of the motives of Queen Isabelle, leading her to futilely implore Elodie to end the engagement.

After the wedding, Elodie and Henry take part in an ancient ritual in the mountains, supposedly to celebrate their union. Isabelle describes the pact between the first king and the Dragon, where he had to sacrifice his three daughters to ensure peace between his people and the dragon. Following a ceremony where their palms are cut and held together, Henry carries Elodie across the narrow path over the Dragon's lair, then at Isabelle's behest throws her down the chasm.

Recovering from the fall, Elodie realizes that she is an actual sacrifice. She escapes the Dragon after it burns her leg, and discovers an illuminated cave filled with glowing silk worms, which she collects as a light source. Elodie reaches a chamber with the note "Safe Here She Cannot Reach", the names of past victims, and a map carved into the wall. While Elodie sleeps, the worms heal the burn on her leg.

Elodie follows the map to a dead end at a high vertical drop on the mountainside. She discovers the remains of dead dragon hatchlings, explaining the reason for the royal sacrifices. A rescue party led by Lord Bayford arrives. The Dragon kills them, including Lord Bayford, but the distraction allows Elodie to escape the mountain. She takes one of the rescue party's horses and hides under a rock as the Dragon burns the surrounding area in an unsuccessful pursuit.

Alerted by the conflagration that Elodie's sacrifice has failed, Isabelle resorts to kidnapping Elodie's younger sister Floria as a replacement. After learning this from a desperate Lady Bayford, Elodie returns to the mountain to rescue Floria, who the dragon has left alive as bait.

Elodie creates a diversion to reach Floria. Telling her sister to hide, she confronts the Dragon and tries to convince her that they were deceived by the Aureans: by joining their cut hands at the wedding, the blood of the brides and the Aurean royals mingled, making the Dragon think that the princesses were of Aurean descent. Refusing to believe Elodie, the Dragon states that the first king's assault was unprovoked, and then attacks her. The two battle until Elodie tricks the Dragon into burning herself. With the Dragon at her mercy, she convinces the Dragon of the truth and heals both of them with the glowing worms.

Elodie then interrupts the wedding of another sacrifice at the palace, exposing the Aurean royal family's treachery. Elodie advises the new bride and her family to flee, and the Dragon burns the palace with all the Aurean royals and nobles inside. Henry, remorseful for his actions, is shown to accept his fate. Days later, Elodie, Floria, and Lady Bayford sail home, loaded with supplies and accompanied by the Dragon.

Cast

Production

Damsel was directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo from a script by Dan Mazeau, and produced by Joe Roth and Jeff Kirschenbaum through their production company for Netflix. [2] Emily Ballou and Mark Bomback were credited for "additional literary material" off-screen. [3]

In November 2020, Millie Bobby Brown was cast as Princess Elodie; she was also named as the film's executive producer. [2] In April 2022, it was reported that Angela Bassett, Nick Robinson, Robin Wright, Ray Winstone, Brooke Carter, and Shohreh Aghdashloo were part of the cast. [4] [5]

Principal photography took place in early 2022. [6] Cave scenes were shot at Troubadour Meridian Water Studios in London. Filming also took place in Portugal at Tomar, Sortelha, Serra da Estrela, and at the Batalha Monastery. [7] The dragon was designed by Patrick Tatopoulos. [8]

The film's score was composed by David Fleming and produced by Hans Zimmer. [9] The soundtrack includes a cover of the Johnny Cash song "Ring of Fire", performed by Lykke Li. Netflix Music released the soundtrack album digitally on March 5, 2024. [10]

Release

Damsel was scheduled to stream on Netflix on October 13, 2023. [11] However, due to the impact of the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike on the film's promotion, the original release date was postponed and the film began streaming on March 8, 2024. [12] [13]

Novel

Author Evelyn Skye released a novelization of the film in advance. She stated: "The easiest way to think about it is this: Dan Mazeau wrote the original screenplay. I was able to read an early draft and was given free rein to write my own version of the story, which ultimately became the novel. Both the novel and the movie may stem from the same origin, but they are also each their own unique works of art". [14]

The novel was published by Penguin Random House on April 18, 2023. [15]

Reception

Audience viewership

According to Netflix, the film amassed 35.3 million views (or 64.8 million hours) in its first three days, placing first in 79 countries. [16] [17] Between its debut and the end of June, total views rose to 143 million, making it the most-watched Netflix film for the first half of 2024. [18]

Critical response

The film received mixed reviews. [19] [20] On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 57% of 125 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.5/10.The website's consensus reads: "Damsel has an appealing action hero in Millie Bobby Brown, whose gutsy performance is often enough to balance the scales against the film's underpowered story and occasionally unconvincing effects." [21] 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. [22]

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". [23] Peter Debruge of Variety wrote, "Deliciously improper at times, Damsel adheres to codes that can feel a bit calculated, less organic than crafted in response to a newly progressive corporate agenda (the signs are there at all levels, from inclusive casting to occasionally self-righteous dialogue)". [9] Kate Erbland of IndieWire gave it a grade of "C+". [13] Tim Robey of The Telegraph awarded it one star out of five, writing "If a straight-to-landfill quality is synonymous with the worst of Netflix, Damsel sums this up by having the tackiness of a plastic wedding cake." [24]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robin Wright</span> American actress (born 1966)

Robin Gayle Wright is an American actress. She has received accolades including a Golden Globe Award, and nominations for eight Primetime Emmy Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Damsel in distress</span> Trope and stock character in storytelling

The damsel in distress is a narrative device in which one or more men must rescue a woman who has been kidnapped or placed in other peril. The "damsel" is often portrayed as beautiful, popular and of high social status; they are usually depicted as princesses in works with fantasy or fairy tale settings. Kinship, love, lust or a combination of those motivate the male protagonist to initiate the narrative.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shohreh Aghdashloo</span> Iranian actress (born 1952)

Shohreh Aghdashloo is an Iranian and American actress. She has received various accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award and a Satellite Award, in addition to a nomination for an Academy Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Juan Carlos Fresnadillo</span> Spanish film director, script writer, and producer

Juan Carlos Fresnadillo is a Spanish film director, script writer, and producer. He directed Intacto and 28 Weeks Later, the sequel to Danny Boyle's 28 Days Later. His film Esposados was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film in 1996.

<i>The Enola Holmes Mysteries</i> Young adult fiction series by Nancy Springer

The Enola Holmes Mysteries is a young adult fiction series of detective novels by American author Nancy Springer, starring Enola Holmes as the 14-year-old sister of an already famous Sherlock Holmes, twenty years her senior. There are nine books in the series, and one short story all written from 2006–2023. This pastiche series borrows characters and settings from the established canon of Sherlock Holmes, but the Enola character is Springer's creation and specific to this series.

Dan Mazeau is an American screenwriter. While attending the MFA screenwriting program at UCLA, he wrote a family fantasy "The Land of Lost Things" and the script was set up at Nickelodeon/Paramount Pictures, with Arnold Kopelson producing. Mazeau was hired by Dan Lin and Warner Bros. to adapt Jonny Quest. He was named one of Variety's "10 Screenwriters to Watch" in 2008 and the script was on the Blacklist that same year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Élodie Yung</span> French actress (born 1981)

Élodie Yung is a French actress. She is best known for her roles as Elektra Natchios in the 2016 second season of the Marvel Cinematic Universe Netflix series Daredevil and The Defenders, as well as Thony De La Rosa on the 2022 Fox series The Cleaning Lady.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Millie Bobby Brown</span> British actress (born 2004)

Millie Bobby Brown is a British actress. She gained recognition for playing Eleven in the Netflix science fiction series Stranger Things (2016–present), for which she received nominations for two Primetime Emmy Awards. Brown has starred in the monster film Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019) and its sequel Godzilla vs. Kong (2021). She also starred in and produced the Netflix films Enola Holmes (2020), its 2022 sequel, and Damsel (2024).

<i>Hes a Dragon</i> 2015 Russian film

He's a Dragon or He is Dragon, also in English territories titled as I Am Dragon, and in Germany Dragon: Love is a Scary Tale, is a 2015 Russian 3D romantic fantasy adventure film written and directed by Indar Dzhendubaev and produced by Timur Bekmambetov's company Bazelevs. The two main roles are played by Maria Poezzhaeva and Matvey Lykov. The film is loosely based on Marina and Sergey Dyachenko's 1996 fantasy novel The Ritual.

Eleven (<i>Stranger Things</i>) Fictional character in Stranger Things

Eleven is a main character from the Netflix science fiction horror drama series Stranger Things, written and produced by the Duffer Brothers. She is primarily portrayed by British actress Millie Bobby Brown. Eleven has psychokinetic and telepathic abilities, and is considered the breakout character of Stranger Things. After being adopted by chief of police Jim Hopper, her legal name becomes Jane Hopper.

<i>Wish Dragon</i> 2021 computer-animated family comedy film

Wish Dragon is a 2021 animated fantasy comedy film written and directed by Chris Appelhans and produced by Sony Pictures Animation and Tencent Pictures. The film stars Jimmy Wong, John Cho, Constance Wu, Natasha Liu Bordizzo, Jimmy O. Yang, Aaron Yoo, Will Yun Lee, and Ronny Chieng. Jackie Chan produced the film and voiced Cho's role in the Chinese Mandarin version. It tells the story about a college student named Din Song, who encounters a teapot inhabited by a dragon named Long, who has the power to grant three wishes.

The Dragon Prince, known as The Dragon Prince: Mystery of Aaravos from the fourth season onward, is an animated fantasy television series created by Aaron Ehasz and Justin Richmond for Netflix. Produced by Wonderstorm and animated by Bardel Entertainment, the first season premiered on September 14, 2018. The second season premiered on February 15, 2019, and the third on November 22, 2019, concluding the first saga of the series. Following a three-year hiatus, the fourth season premiered on November 3, 2022, and started the series' second saga. The fifth season premiered on July 22, 2023, and the sixth on July 26, 2024. The seventh and final season premiered on December 19, 2024, concluding the second saga and the series. The series has earned critical acclaim for its story, themes, vocal performances, animation, and humor.

<i>Enola Holmes</i> (film) 2020 film by Harry Bradbeer

Enola Holmes is a 2020 mystery film starring Millie Bobby Brown as the title character, the teenage sister of the already famous Victorian-era detective Sherlock Holmes. The film is directed by Harry Bradbeer from a screenplay by Jack Thorne that adapts the first novel in The Enola Holmes Mysteries series by Nancy Springer. In the film, Enola travels to London to find her missing mother but ends up on a thrilling adventure, pairing up with a runaway lord as they attempt to solve a mystery that threatens the entire country. In addition to Brown, the film also stars Sam Claflin, Henry Cavill, and Helena Bonham Carter.

<i>Run Sweetheart Run</i> 2020 film by Shana Feste

Run Sweetheart Run is a 2020 American supernatural horror film directed by Shana Feste from a screenplay by Feste, Keith Josef Adkins and Kellee Terrell. The film stars Ella Balinska, Pilou Asbæk, Dayo Okeniyi, Betsy Brandt, Ava Grey, Lamar Johnson, Jess Gabor, Clark Gregg, and Shohreh Aghdashloo.

<i>The Wrong Missy</i> 2020 film by Tyler Spindel

The Wrong Missy is a 2020 American romantic black comedy film directed by Tyler Spindel which was produced by Happy Madison Productions. With a screenplay by Chris Pappas and Kevin Barnett, the film stars David Spade as a recently single businessman who accidentally invites a woman with whom he had a horrible first date to a corporate retreat after a case of mistaken identity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Louis Partridge</span> English actor (born 2003)

Louis Patrick James Partridge is an English actor. He began his career as a child actor, and had minor roles in the fantasy films Pan (2015) and Paddington 2 (2017). He portrayed Piero de' Medici in the historical drama series Medici (2019), and had his breakthrough with the Netflix mystery film Enola Holmes (2020) and its 2022 sequel. Patridge has since portrayed Sid Vicious in the FX miniseries Pistol (2022) and starred in Alfonso Cuarón's thriller series Disclaimer (2024).

<i>The Electric State</i> Upcoming film by Anthony and Joe Russo

The Electric State is an upcoming American science fiction adventure comedy-drama film directed by Anthony and Joe Russo from a screenplay by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, loosely based on the 2018 graphic novel of the same name by Simon Stålenhag. The film features an ensemble cast that includes Millie Bobby Brown, Chris Pratt, Ke Huy Quan, Jason Alexander, Woody Harrelson, Anthony Mackie, Brian Cox, Jenny Slate, Giancarlo Esposito and Stanley Tucci.

<i>Enola Holmes 2</i> 2022 mystery film by Harry Bradbeer

Enola Holmes 2 is a 2022 mystery film and the sequel to the 2020 film Enola Holmes, both of which star Millie Bobby Brown as the title character, the teenage sister of the already-famous Victorian-era detective Sherlock Holmes. The film is directed by Harry Bradbeer from a screenplay by Jack Thorne that adapts the book series The Enola Holmes Mysteries by Nancy Springer. Unlike the film's predecessor, it does not adapt one of Springer's novels and instead takes real-life inspiration from the 1888 matchgirls' strike. In addition to Brown, Henry Cavill, Louis Partridge, Susie Wokoma, Adeel Akhtar, and Helena Bonham Carter reprise their supporting roles, while David Thewlis and Sharon Duncan-Brewster join the cast.

<i>Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight</i> Computer-animated streaming television series

Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight is an American CG-animated television series, developed by Mitch Watson and Peter Hastings for Netflix. It is the third TV series in the Kung Fu Panda franchise, following Kung Fu Panda: The Paws of Destiny. Produced by DreamWorks Animation Television, the series premiered on Netflix on July 14, 2022. A second season was released on January 12, 2023. A third and final season was released on September 7, 2023.

Élodie Grace Orkin is a British and American actress. She is known for her roles in the fourth season of the Netflix series Stranger Things (2022) and the Paramount+ series The Burning Girls (2023).

References

  1. ↑ "Damsel (12)". BBFC . March 7, 2024. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
  2. 1 2 D'Alessandro, Anthony (November 11, 2020). "Millie Bobby Brown To Star In & Executive Produce Netflix Fantasy Movie 'Damsel'". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on November 29, 2020. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
  3. ↑ "Damsel". Writers Guild of America West . December 8, 2022. Archived from the original on March 8, 2024. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
  4. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (April 7, 2022). "Angela Bassett Joins Netflix's Millie Bobby Brown Fantasy Feature 'Damsel'". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on December 30, 2022. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
  5. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (April 12, 2022). "'Damsel': Robin Wright, Ray Winstone, Nick Robinson, Brooke Carter & Shohreh Aghdashloo Join Netflix Millie Bobby Brown Fantasy Pic". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on March 26, 2023. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
  6. ↑ Daniels, Nia (December 2, 2021). "Exclusive: Netflix to film fantasy feature Damsel at new London studio". The Knowledge Online. Archived from the original on March 25, 2023. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  7. ↑ Shaw, Angel (March 7, 2024). "Where Was Netflix's Damsel Filmed?". ScreenRant . Retrieved March 8, 2024.
  8. ↑ Topel, Fred (March 7, 2024). "Movie review: Damsel makes Millie Bobby Brown exciting digital dragonslayer". UPI . Retrieved March 11, 2024.
  9. 1 2 Debruge, Peter (March 8, 2024). "Damsel Review: Millie Bobby Brown Makes Rambo Look Soft, Dragon Slaying in High Heels and a Dress". Variety . Archived from the original on March 8, 2024. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
  10. ↑ "'Damsel' Soundtrack Album Details". Film Music Reporter. March 4, 2024. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
  11. ↑ Pulliam-Moore, Charles (January 18, 2023). "Netflix's 2023 movie lineup is looking kind of lean". The Verge . Archived from the original on February 23, 2023. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
  12. ↑ Marshall, Carrie (August 1, 2023). "Netflix delays the release of six movies amid the writers' and actors' strike". TechRadar . Archived from the original on December 9, 2023. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  13. 1 2 Erbland, Kate (March 8, 2024). "Damsel Review: Millie Bobby Brown, Feminist Dragonslayer, Needs Better Weaponry". IndieWire . Archived from the original on March 8, 2024. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
  14. ↑ Perez, Lexy (October 18, 2022). "Netflix Teams With Author Evelyn Skye for Novelization of Millie Bobby Brown's Damsel (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved March 8, 2024.
  15. ↑ Skye, Evelyn (March 5, 2024). Damsel by Evelyn Skye. Random House Worlds. ISBN   9780593599426 . Retrieved March 8, 2024.{{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  16. ↑ Campione, Katie (March 12, 2024). "'Damsel' Takes Over Netflix With Impressive Debut While The Gentlemen Is No. 1 In TV". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved March 12, 2024.
  17. ↑ Bentz, Adam (March 13, 2024). "Millie Bobby Brown's New Netflix Fantasy Movie Dominates Global Chart". Screen Rant . Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  18. ↑ Ntim, Zac (September 19, 2024). "Netflix Data Dump: Millie Bobby Brown's Damsel & Kevin Hart Action Flick Lift Lead Film Pack — See The Latest Insights". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved September 19, 2024.
  19. ↑ Bologna, Caroline (March 11, 2024). "This Dark Fantasy Is The Top Movie On Netflix Right Now". HuffPost . Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  20. ↑ "Viewers praising 'unbelievable' scene in Millie Bobby Brown's new Netflix movie that left them with chills". UNILAD . March 14, 2024. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  21. ↑ "Damsel". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved March 31, 2024. OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  22. ↑ "Damsel". Metacritic . Fandom, Inc. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
  23. ↑ LaSalle, Mick (March 6, 2024). "Review: Millie Bobby Brown commits to weak yet appealing Damse". San Francisco Chronicle . Archived from the original on March 8, 2024. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
  24. ↑ "Damsel, review: Millie Bobby Brown's girlboss revenge caper is atrocious". The Telegraph. March 8, 2024. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.