TL;DR
Damsel wasn’t awful. But it was a long way from good. It’s best suited for parents who want their young daughters to watch a twist on the typical fairy tale. The problem is that it’s not exactly bloodless. There’s some violence in here that some parents wouldn’t want to share with children who are too young. But the story is too trite and may not be enjoyable to mature kids.
Writing, if you can call it that.
[ Spoilers ahead ]
The writing is lacking and it’s noticeable within the first five minutes of the story. The dialog is clunky to the point that it’s hard to tell if the acting is good because there’s nothing even a great actor can do with poor dialog. The plot resolution is disappointing. Not because the dragon lives, but because Elodie (Millie Bobby Brown) reverts to the role we would expect of a male. She uses trickery and violence, only to show mercy at the end. It would have been more fitting to completely upend the dragonslayer trope by not reverting to violence at all.
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Directing
If you’re a big Millie Bobby Brown fan then this is a decent showcase for her. Personally, I would have liked to see her do something further from her Eleven character in Stranger Things. Something dramatic, or a comedy that could push her in ways that Stranger Things doesn’t. But I suppose that will come in time.
There was never a point for either me or my wife that we were engaged with the movie. We were both trying to predict the next plot point experience throughout the movie. There were too many little things that were bothersome. Like all the noise that Elodie makes. Once she realizes the peril she’s in then any bright character would at least try to keep quiet, but it never seems that she realizes that. The best thing about this movie is the casting of Shohreh Aghdashloo as the voice for the dragon. If you’ve watched The Expanse, then you’ll be in for a treat. Shohreh is the perfect choice for a female dragon. If you haven’t watched The Expanse then you’re lucky because you can skip this movie and jump right into a tremendously good show.
Grade: D+
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