Damsel Review: A Predictable Yet Entertaining Tale

Warning: This review contains spoilers for the entirety of Damsel.

Damsel tells the tale of Elodie after she marries a prince of a faraway land and then promptly finds herself being ritually sacrificed to a dragon. All of this is made clear in the film’s description and trailer, so it’s no secret what you’re getting yourself into when you hit play.

Unfortunately, there’s nothing more to the story. No twist surprises you and changes the course of the film. Damsel is what it says it will be, which is a little disappointing.

There’s room to do something unexpected, and so it’s sad to see the film pass the opportunity by. I kept waiting for Elodie to somehow find out that another woman was still alive down in the caves or learn that someone managed to escape.

The lack of a twist keeps Damsel from being anything more than mediocre. It’s not a bad film by any means, but it could have been so much better.

Elodie and her transformation into a warrior is the story

It’s clear from the title that the film is playing on the damsel in distress trope, but it’s not all that successful. Don’t get me wrong, Elodie is an absolute badass, but she kinda was all along.

Perhaps if we were introduced to a meek girl who fell in love with a handsome prince, then the transformation could have been more powerful and unexpected. Instead, we see Elodie chopping wood and doing what she can for her people before she’s whisked away to marry Henry, a man she doesn’t fall head over heels for.

Also, this is Millie Bobby Brown we’re talking about, we’ve seen her play some kickass female characters, so we know she’s not someone who will wait around for a man to save her. And Elodie never really does either. She calls out for help a couple of times initially, but she never thinks about sitting and waiting for someone to rescue her, definitely not her husband.

Seeing as how Elodie is the character we spend the most time with, we really should know her a bit better.

Damsel tries to endear us to Elodie by giving us random factoids about her, but it’s not enough. Her weird tendency to draw mazes is never explained, but it is the one thing about her that’s brought up multiple times. Perhaps it is so we know she’ll be able to understand the very clear map of the caves?

The one aspect of Elodie’s character that the film nails is her love for her sister. That alongside the bond Elodie forms with all the women who’ve been sacrificed prior are the film’s strongest moments.

Elodie finding the safe haven in the cave, guided by Victoria’s writings, is a powerful moment. It’s not hard to understand the connection between all those women.

Overall, Damsel is fine. Its attempts at subverting the damsel and stepmother tropes don’t land as well as it thinks it did, but neither failure harms the film in any way. You won’t regret the time you spent watching it.

Stray Thoughts

• The glow worms are the stars of the film. I hope Elodie brought some home with her.
• She could’ve explained why the dragon was lied to about the sacrifices a lot sooner than she does.
• This film makes me want to rewatch Ready or Not.
• Dad’s change of heart doesn’t quite work. I guess we just need him to bring ropes down into the cave so Elodie can escape.
• It’s action-packed at times but Damsel also comes to a lull in the middle as you wait for Elodie to make it out.

What did you think of Damsel? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Damsel is now streaming on Netflix.

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