How Millie Bobby Brown Trains This Dragon.
I’m so received the female-led Marvel movie “Madame Web” is bombing at the box office, because the more time has passed, the more irritated I’ve gotten over the fact that it plays like a minstrel show for selfish idiotic women. Meaning, the women in that debacle made a number of stupid choices for their own benefits. Women are supposed to be smarter than that, but not those characters.
The new made-for-Netflix action movie “Damsel” actually has a smart woman, who makes a poor choice at first, but then learns to thrive on the dangers that emerge. And that danger would happen to be in the form of a dragon.
Is it a familiar action movie? Yes, it is. Does it play like a PG-13 version of “Ready or Not?” You know, because it features a wedding and a sacrifice? Well, maybe not in that extreme. But is it, at least, a rousing movie? Yes, it is. I had a good time watching it.
Millie Bobby Brown (“Stranger Things”) plays a young woman named Eloide, who is set to marry Prince Henry (Nick Robinson) to solve her family’s financial problem. Her father Lord Bayford (Ray Winstone), her younger sister Floria (Brooke Carter), and their stepmother Lady Bayford (Angela Bassett) all accompany her to the kingdom of Aurea, which looks sunny in the daytime, but has a sinister twist.
Henry’s mother Queen Isabelle (Robin Wright) is actually a vein woman who would refer to Eloide as Elosie, and wants nothing to do with her family. Lady Bedford tries to talk Eloide out of it, but to no avail.
She probably should have listen to her stepmother sooner, because she’s chosen to be the sacrifice in an ancient ritual regarding the dragon (voiced by Shohreh Aghdashloo) which has attacked Aurea’s people for centuries. Unfortunately, her newly wedded husband has to be the bad guy and throw her in the chasm. At least, those many branches are able to break her fall.
The cave she’s now trapped in features birds on fire caused by the dragon’s hot breathe, her lava light river (making it look like an “Aladdin” scene), and glowworms which can heal all wounds. And it also has the names of fallen princesses. Did anyone make it out? I can’t say for sure. But one thing is certain, Elodie must survive the way Samara Weaving had to survive the satanic hide and seek game in “Ready or Not.”
“Damsel” was directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, whose credits include “Intact,” “28 Weeks Later,” and “Intruders,” and the script was written by Dan Mazaeau, who also wrote “Fast X” and “Wrath of the Titans.” And while the screenplay is predictable, we were actually rooting for the girl to show the evil queen who’s boss. Brown delivers and carries this movie with the right consistency, while Aghdashloo has the right voice to bring out the creepy vibe of the dragon. And both women have minds to use and anger to express on the sins of others. Particularly the kingdom of Aurea.
I skipped the horror film “Imaginary” in theaters, because I’d rather spend my time on watching a good movie. Maybe not in theaters, but at least on my computer. Maybe “Damsel” should have been shown in theaters, but it probably would have been overshadowed by “Dune: Part Two” or “Kung Fu Panda 4.” But Netflix is a good back up plan, and you can watch this on a big screen TV, so it could be like a movie theater. Just watch it in a dark room, because this cave is pretty dark, until we get to the fire birds and glowworms.
Streaming on Netflix
