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New Movies: Damsel (2024) by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo: A Fantasy Subversion of Expectations

  • Writer: dailyentertainment95
    dailyentertainment95
  • Jun 18
  • 13 min read

Core Summary: A Princess's Fight for Survival and Vengeance Damsel (2024), directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, is a fantasy action-adventure film starring Millie Bobby Brown as Elodie, a dutiful young noblewoman who agrees to marry a handsome prince to save her impoverished people. However, the royal wedding is a deceptive trap: Elodie is sacrificed to a fire-breathing dragon to repay an ancient debt. Thrown into a perilous chasm, she must rely solely on her wits, resilience, and a newfound ferocity to survive the brutal creature and eventually seek vengeance on the treacherous royal family, subverting the traditional "damsel in distress" trope.

Summary Short: Royal Betrayal Leads to Dragon Den Survival A princess, tricked into becoming a dragon's sacrifice, must fight for her life and expose the treachery of a royal family to save herself and her kingdom.

Detailed Summary: From Princess to Dragon Slayer: A Fight for Life

  • Film Overview: Damsel (2024) is an American fantasy action-adventure film directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo and written by Dan Mazeau. It has a runtime of 1 hour and 50 minutes (110 minutes) and was distributed by Netflix.

  • The Deceptive Proposal: The story introduces Elodie (Millie Bobby Brown), the eldest daughter of Lord Bayford (Ray Winstone) from an impoverished northern land. A marriage proposal arrives from Queen Isabelle of Aurea (Robin Wright) for her son, Prince Henry (Nick Robinson). Elodie agrees to the marriage to secure a bride price that will save her starving people.

  • The Wedding and the Betrayal: Upon arriving in the prosperous kingdom of Aurea, Elodie and Henry initially bond, dispelling her reservations. However, shortly after the wedding ceremony, a shocking betrayal occurs. During an ancient ritual in the mountains, supposedly celebrating their union, Henry throws Elodie into a deep chasm.

  • Sacrifice to the Dragon: Elodie quickly realizes she is not a bride but a sacrifice, intended to repay an ancient pact between Aurea's first king and a vengeful dragon residing in the chasm. The dragon is seeking retribution for the brutal slaying of her three hatchlings centuries ago.

  • Survival and Discovery: Barefoot and injured, Elodie must navigate the perilous cave system, narrowly escaping the dragon's fiery attacks. She discovers an illuminated cave with glowing silk worms, which not only provide light but also possess healing properties, mending her burnt leg. She also finds evidence of past victims and a map carved into the wall.

  • The Return and Vengeance: After a failed rescue attempt by her father, which results in his death, Elodie escapes the mountain. Learning that her younger sister Floria (Brooke Carter) has been taken as a replacement sacrifice, Elodie bravely returns to the chasm. She confronts the dragon, exposing the Aurea royal family's deception about the blood pact. A fierce battle ensues, culminating in Elodie tricking the dragon into burning itself.

  • Justice and New Beginnings: Elodie convinces the dragon of the truth and, using the healing worms, mends both their wounds. She then interrupts a new sacrificial wedding at the palace, exposing the royals' treachery. The dragon, now allied with Elodie, burns the palace, consuming the royal family and corrupt nobles. Elodie, along with her stepmother (Angela Bassett) and Floria, sails home with the healing worms, signifying a new era.

Plot Summary: From Princess to Dragon Slayer: A Fight for Life

  • The Desperate Betrothal: Elodie, a princess from an impoverished kingdom, agrees to an arranged marriage with Prince Henry of Aurea, hoping her dowry will save her people from famine.

  • A Royal Deception: After the wedding, Elodie is led to a mountain ritual where, to her horror, she is thrown into a chasm as a sacrifice to a dragon, repaying an ancient blood debt of the Aurean royal family.

  • The Chasm of Survival: Elodie narrowly escapes the dragon's initial attacks, sustaining injuries. She discovers glowing worms that heal her wounds and light her path, as well as evidence of previous, unsuccessful "damsels."

  • Escalation and Personal Loss: Elodie's father leads a rescue party, but they are all killed by the dragon. Elodie escapes, only to learn her younger sister, Floria, has been taken as the next sacrifice.

  • A New Alliance and Vengeance: Elodie returns, confronts the dragon, and reveals the Aurean royals' long-standing deception about the blood pact that fueled the dragon's rage. After a brutal battle, Elodie bests the dragon.

  • Justice Served: Elodie convinces the dragon of the truth, and together, they return to the kingdom. Elodie exposes the royal family's treachery, and the dragon burns down the palace, annihilating the corrupt monarchy.

  • A Future Forged: Elodie returns home with her stepmother and sister, empowered and ready to lead her people into a new, just era, carrying the healing worms as a symbol of hope.

Director's Vision: Redefining the Fairy Tale Heroine Juan Carlos Fresnadillo's directorial vision for Damsel is to dismantle the traditional "damsel in distress" trope and empower a female protagonist within a dark fantasy survival story.

  • Subverting Expectations: Fresnadillo aimed to create an "energetic Millie Bobby Brown-led fantasy adventure which shifts the classic fairytale with a dark-edged survival story." He explicitly set out to turn the tables on the classic fairytale trope, re-rooting it "in the darker sides of those stories."

  • Focus on Resilience: The core of his vision is to showcase Elodie's transformation from a seemingly helpless princess into a self-sufficient warrior. Millie Bobby Brown's portrayal "proves that she doesn't really need saving," embodying "strength in adversity" and "a desire to change the way things are."

  • Brutality and Grit: The film quickly shifts from a bright, romantic beginning to "instant darkness and pain" in the chasm, embracing a "low-key brutal" and gritty survival narrative.

  • Visual Storytelling and Reveals: Fresnadillo enjoys "hiding plot points, or progression, just out of shot and unravels it as the camera pans back, or as mental (as in mind) decisions are made by Elodie," which he found "quite fun" for the viewer.

  • Empowering Message: The director intended for the film to "challenge the conventional depiction of women as weak and needing rescue by men for happiness or salvation," instead "highlighting a fresh portrayal of women in media." The character of Elodie asserts, "My life is my own," inspiring viewers to face challenges with courage.

  • Brown as the Vehicle: Fresnadillo sees the film as "certainly the Millie Bobby Brown experience," acknowledging her ability to carry the film and her potential to be "an even bigger action hero in the future."

Themes: Betrayal, Survival, and Female Empowerment

  • Subversion of the "Damsel in Distress" Trope: The film's most prominent theme is the dismantling of traditional fairy tale narratives, showcasing a princess who rescues herself through grit and resourcefulness.

  • Betrayal and Deception: The central conflict stems from the ultimate betrayal by the royal family, highlighting themes of trust, greed, and hidden motives.

  • Survival and Resilience: Elodie's arduous journey through the dragon's lair emphasizes her tenacity, resourcefulness, and unwavering will to live against overwhelming odds.

  • Revenge and Justice: While initially focused on survival, Elodie's motivation evolves into a quest for vengeance against those who wronged her and her family, seeking justice for past victims.

  • Sacrifice (Corrupted vs. Righteous): The film explores both the corrupted, self-serving sacrifices made by the royal family and the selfless, righteous sacrifices made by characters like Elodie's father.

  • Defining Nobility: The narrative suggests that true nobility is determined by "courage and the quality of your character, not by birth or marriage," challenging aristocratic conventions.

  • The Power of Sisterhood: The bond between Elodie and Floria serves as a strong emotional anchor, highlighting the importance of family and protection.

Key Success Factors: Millie Bobby Brown's Charismatic Grit

  • Millie Bobby Brown's Star Power: Her compelling and physical performance as Elodie is universally praised, anchoring the film and drawing in a large audience.

  • Subversive Fairy Tale Narrative: The fresh take on the classic princess trope, transforming her into a self-reliant action hero, resonated with contemporary audiences seeking empowering female leads.

  • Engaging Survival Story: The core plot of Elodie battling a dragon in a cave is inherently thrilling and well-executed, providing consistent tension.

  • High Production Values: The film boasts impressive visual effects (especially for the dragon and cave environments) and production design, creating a visually compelling fantasy world.

  • Strong Supporting Cast: The presence of established actors like Robin Wright, Angela Bassett, and Ray Winstone adds depth and gravitas to the narrative.

  • Netflix Global Reach: Being a Netflix original film, it immediately gained massive worldwide viewership, becoming a global sensation.

Summary Short: A Netflix Global Sensation Damsel (2024) quickly became a global hit for Netflix, leading its Engagement Report as the most-watched film in the first half of 2024 with over 143 million views worldwide. It premiered on the platform on March 8, 2024. Critics offered mixed reviews, with a 56% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes, praising Millie Bobby Brown's performance and the film's subversion of the damsel trope, while some criticized the plot and visual effects. The film had a gross budget of $145.1 million.

Awards & Nominations: A Budding Legacy As a relatively new film released in 2024, Damsel has not yet accumulated major industry awards beyond festival selections.

  • Berlin International Film Festival: Official Selection.

  • Sundance Film Festival: Official Selection.

  • While not explicitly an award, it was the most-watched film on Netflix globally in the first half of 2024, with over 143 million views, which is a significant achievement in terms of audience reach.

Critics Reception: A Mixed Bag of Fire and Fury Damsel received mixed reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, 56% of 127 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.5/10. Metacritic assigned it a weighted average score of 46 out of 100.

  • Rotten Tomatoes Consensus: "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."

  • Mick LaSalle (San Francisco Chronicle): Praised Brown's "commitment to the role" but wished for "a little less of Brown cowering behind boulders... and a little more of her getting even."

  • Peter Debruge (Variety): Found it "Deliciously improper at times," but also felt it "adheres to codes that can feel a bit calculated, less organic than crafted in response to a newly progressive corporate agenda." He noted it was "unrealistic due to the overpowering female characterization" for some audiences.

  • Kate Erbland (IndieWire): Gave it a grade of "C+."

  • Tim Robey (The Telegraph): Awarded it one star out of five, criticizing its "straight-to-landfill quality" and "tackiness."

  • Candid Cinema: Stated it "had the potential to be a great vehicle for Bobby Brown... but it fell short," criticizing the lack of character development and polish in VFX.

  • ResearchGate Analysis (Audience Reception): A study on audience reception found that while a "hegemonic dominant audience agreed that there was a concept of feminism explained through the heroine," a "negotiated audience found it unrealistic due to the overpowering female characterization," and an "oppositional audience found that the movie depicted women's suffering due to the patriarchal system rather than women's empowerment."

  • Critical Popcorn: Praised Millie Bobby Brown for proving she "doesn't really need saving" and that she "can take it on herself with a Die Hard edge but in her own style."

Overall Summary of Critical Reception: Critics were divided. Many appreciated the film's feminist twist on the fairy tale and Millie Bobby Brown's strong performance, finding it an entertaining and empowering action-adventure. However, a significant portion criticized the screenplay for being underdeveloped or predictable, and some found the visual effects or pacing lacking, leading to a perception that it didn't fully live up to its potential despite a promising concept.

Reviews: Audience Perspectives: Engagement and Empowerment Audience reviews for Damsel are generally more positive than critical ones, especially on platforms where direct user ratings are prominent, indicating it resonated strongly with its target demographic.

  • JustWatch: Shows an 82% approval rating based on 6.6k user ratings and a 6.1/10 rating, suggesting overall positive sentiment.

  • Movieguide: Describes it as an "entertaining fantasy for mature audiences," with a "positive pro-family worldview" where family is the most important value. They noted that "Princess Elodie directly says that exact thing in a brief narration at the beginning... women don't need saving."

  • ResearchGate Analysis (Audience Reception): Found that "the majority of audience responses indicate agreement where they acknowledge the feminist values in the film," challenging the "conventional depiction of women as weak and needing rescue by men."

  • General Audience Sentiment: Viewers widely praised Millie Bobby Brown's powerful and resourceful performance. They appreciated the film's direct subversion of the "damsel in distress" trope, finding Elodie's self-reliance empowering. Many found the dragon sequences thrilling and the overall concept engaging, making it a popular choice on Netflix. Some found the story thin or predictable, but this was often outweighed by the enjoyment of the action and Brown's strong portrayal.

Box Office: A Netflix Streaming Success, Not a Theatrical Hit Damsel (2024) was released directly to Netflix as an original film, meaning it did not have a traditional theatrical box office run. Box Office Mojo lists its worldwide gross as "-", reflecting its streaming-first distribution model. However, its success is measured by its massive viewership on Netflix. The film had a reported gross budget of $145.1 million (with a net budget of $109.2 million), indicating a significant investment from Netflix. It became the most-watched film on Netflix globally in the first half of 2024, accumulating over 143 million views worldwide and 35.3 million views within its first three days.

Production Summary: A Modern Fantasy Saga Takes Shape Damsel (2024) is a fantasy action-adventure film with a runtime of 1 hour and 50 minutes (110 minutes). It was produced in the United States in 2023, with its development confirmed in 2020. The film was written by Dan Mazeau and directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo. Millie Bobby Brown not only stars as the lead but also served as an executive producer, alongside Joe Roth and Jeff Kirschenbaum (also producers), Dan Mazeau, and Zack Roth.

Production Companies: The Visionaries Behind the Action The primary production company is Roth/Kirschenbaum Films. The film was produced by Netflix, which also served as the financing company.

Sales Companies: A Direct Stream to Global Audiences As a Netflix original film, Damsel did not have a traditional sales company that sells distribution rights to different territories. Netflix handles its own global distribution directly through its streaming platform.

Distribution Companies: Netflix's Global Reach The sole distributor for Damsel (2024) is Netflix, which released the film globally on its streaming platform.

Release date on streaming: A Worldwide Digital Premiere Damsel (2024) premiered worldwide on Netflix on March 8, 2024.

Theatrical Release: A Streaming-First Strategy Damsel (2024) had a limited theatrical release in certain international territories like France (where it was released as "La Demoiselle et le Dragon" on March 7, 2024), but its primary release strategy was direct-to-streaming on Netflix. A widespread theatrical release was not announced for the film.

Why to recommend this movie: A Fresh Take on Fairy Tale Heroism

  • Empowering Female Lead: It powerfully subverts the "damsel in distress" trope, presenting a strong, resourceful female protagonist who actively fights for her survival and justice.

  • Millie Bobby Brown's Performance: Fans of Millie Bobby Brown will appreciate her physically demanding and committed portrayal of Elodie, showcasing her versatility as an action hero.

  • Action-Packed Survival Story: The core narrative of a young woman battling a dragon in a dark chasm is inherently thrilling and keeps viewers on the edge of their seats.

  • Visually Engaging Fantasy: With high production values and impressive VFX, the film creates a compelling and immersive fantasy world, particularly for the dragon and its lair.

  • Relevant Themes: It touches upon themes of betrayal, resilience, and challenging traditional gender roles, making it relatable and thought-provoking for a contemporary audience.

Why to Watch Movie: For Thrilling Action and Empowering Storytelling

  • You Enjoy Fantasy Adventures: If you're looking for a new fantasy film with a unique twist on familiar tropes.

  • Seeking Strong Female Protagonists: If you appreciate stories where women take charge of their own destiny and fight for themselves.

  • A Fan of Millie Bobby Brown: Her performance is a highlight, demonstrating her capability as a leading action star.

  • Love Dragon Movies: The film features a formidable and well-realized dragon, central to the survival narrative.

  • Netflix Original Fan: If you enjoy high-budget, exclusive content available directly on the streaming platform.

Movie Trend: The Evolution of Fantasy & Female-Led Action Damsel (2024) aligns strongly with the ongoing trend of "Fantasy Subversion," which reimagines classic fairy tales and fantasy tropes with modern, often darker, or more empowering twists. It is a prime example of the increasing prominence of "Female-Led Action-Adventure" films, where women are portrayed as self-sufficient heroes rather than needing rescue. As a high-budget Netflix original, it also fits into the trend of "Streaming-First Blockbusters," demonstrating how major studios are investing in direct-to-consumer content that skips traditional theatrical runs for global reach.

Social Trend: Redefining Gender Roles and Challenging Narratives The film deeply resonates with the contemporary social trend of "Redefining Gender Roles" and "Challenging Traditional Narratives," especially concerning women in media. Elodie's journey from a sacrificial lamb to a self-reliant warrior directly addresses and subverts the long-standing "damsel in distress" archetype, aligning with broader conversations around "Female Empowerment" and "Agency". Its popularity reflects an audience desire for stories that move beyond conventional gender portrayals and offer more diverse and inspiring representations of strength and resilience.

Final Verdict: A Fiery Fresh Take on the Fairy Tale Damsel (2024) is an action-packed and empowering fantasy adventure that successfully subverts expectations, largely thanks to Millie Bobby Brown's fierce and charismatic performance. Juan Carlos Fresnadillo delivers a visually impressive and thrilling survival story that, while having some narrative shortcomings, captivates with its central premise and its commitment to an active, independent heroine. It's a significant Netflix original that proves the "damsel" is perfectly capable of saving herself, and then some, leaving a lasting impression as a bold reimagining of familiar tales.

Recommendations for film makers: Crafting Empowering Fantasy

  • Prioritize Character Agency: Focus on writing protagonists who actively drive their own narratives, making choices and overcoming challenges through their own strength and intellect.

  • Subvert Tropes Intelligently: When reimagining classic stories, ensure the subversion serves a clear thematic purpose and adds genuine depth to the narrative.

  • Invest in Practicality and Grit: Even in fantasy, grounding the survival elements with a sense of realism and showing the physical toll can enhance audience immersion and stakes.

  • Leverage Star Power Wisely: Utilize a strong lead actor not just for their name, but for their ability to embody the character's journey and emotional arc.

  • Balance Spectacle with Emotion: While big-budget VFX are impactful, ensure the core emotional journey and character development remain at the forefront.

Recommendations for movie industry: Cultivating Diverse Heroines

  • Continue Empowering Female Leads: Further invest in and promote action and fantasy films that feature complex, self-reliant female protagonists, catering to a growing demand for such narratives.

  • Support Genre Reimagining: Encourage filmmakers to creatively reinterpret classic stories and myths, injecting them with modern sensibilities and relevant themes.

  • Embrace Streaming as a Primary Outlet: Recognize the immense global reach and audience engagement possible with high-budget original content directly on streaming platforms.

  • Focus on Story Depth: While spectacle is important, prioritize compelling narratives and character development to create more lasting and critically acclaimed films.

  • Listen to Audience Demand for Change: Pay attention to how audiences are reacting to evolving representations and continue to push boundaries in storytelling and character portrayal.

Final Conclusions: The Dragon's Fire Forges a New Legend Damsel (2024) is a roaring success in its mission to redefine the fairy tale heroine. Juan Carlos Fresnadillo's direction, coupled with Millie Bobby Brown's commanding performance, delivers an exciting and visually rich adventure that celebrates resilience, agency, and vengeance. It's a powerful statement from Netflix, proving that sometimes, the "damsel" is not just in distress, but is the force of nature herself, ready to reshape her own story and challenge ancient injustices with fire and wit.


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