Netflix’s latest release Damsel stars Millie Bobby Brown as Elodie in a feminist fantasy epic that pits her against a fire-breathing dragon in a claustrophobic yet magical maze of caves. The premise is simple: Elodie agrees to marry a handsome prince to save her homeland from financial ruin — only to find that the royal family she is set to embrace has recruited her as a sacrifice to repay an ancient debt. After a little flirtation and exploration with the swoon-worthy Prince Henry (Nick Robinson), he tosses her to her death — where a dragon awaits to end her life. Though the story is a bit simplistic with a somewhat bloated runtime — she climbs, she falls, she climbs, she fights, she huffs, she puffs, she screams, she cries, she climbs — the captivating female-led ensemble compensates for an otherwise predictable and trite narrative.
With Millie Bobby Brown, Robin Wright, Angela Bassett, and Shohreh Aghdashloo as the voice of the indomitable dragon, there’s a lot to love here. So, let’s rank these ladies from our least to most favorite — keeping in mind they outrank all the men who are merely peripheral to this tale. (It’s quite fitting that this premiered during Women’s History Month, as it spotlights the diversity inherent to femininity and womanhood, polar approaches to maternal responsibilities, and matriarchal empires.)
4. Angela Bassett as Lady Bayford
Angela Bassett takes on the prototypical maternal figure of such medieval times in Damsel. She is a loving and soft-spoken supporter, yet she is also immensely concerned with high-society decorum and others’ perceptions. She means well, yet she is a bit “exhausting” as Elodie says, for she merely wants what’s best for her family — which can come across as heavy-handed pestering. Though we appreciate Bayford’s maternal instinct — which surges to the surface when she advises Elodie to walk away from the marriage — we’ve grown accustomed to seeing Bassett in tougher parts, like her undaunted characters in Strange Days, Gunpowder Milkshake, and Black Panther. Though a well-acted and surprising change of pace, we can’t help but yearn for a badass-er Bassett.
3. Robin Wright as Queen Isabelle
It’s clear from the onset that Queen Isabelle is calling the shots concerning the sacrificial princess. Prince Henry is merely her subservient son, whom she exploits as a tool. Isabelle is a monarch on a mission first and a mother (qualifying by technicality alone) second. She plays the tactical and terse ruler with a detached sense of apathy and superiority. She is the emotionless Queen who cares not for matters of the heart, but only matters of the kingdom. Her stern gaze and merciless disposition make her the perfect antagonist and a needed (if not overtly obvious) foil to Angela Bassett’s nurturing Lady Bayford. Her vocal pace is steady and her tone remains flat, indicating a lack of affect. Though a bit two-dimensional, Wright sinks her teeth into the character’s one-note villainy with delectable deviance, which we can’t help but admire.
2. Shohreh Aghdashloo as the Dragon
Asgdashloo (Renfield, The Expanse) joins a long line of notable actors who have voiced such fire-breathing medieval destroyers, including Sean Connery, Rachel Weisz, Ben Kingsley, Patrick Stewart, and more. She rises to the occasion with her intimidating rasp and tantalizing intonations. She toys with Brown’s Elodie to torment her — never wavering in her confidence…no matter how many times Brown manages to outwit her. What Aghdashloo accomplishes with voice work alone is staggering and worthy of praise. From sensing the dragon’s determination to sensing her pain or her doubt, it’s all in subtle changes in pitch and the amount of silence between her words. A great majority of the film rests on the shoulders of Aghdashloo and Brown, as they are alone in battle for the film’s entire second act, which brings us to, as you likely anticipated, the beloved Stranger Things alumnus — Brown.
1. Millie Bobby Brown as Elodie
Millie Bobby Brown’s journey from the wailing and worried damsel to the sword-slinging and wound-wrapping warrior is what keeps this film captivating. Considering the narrative is somewhat run-of-the-mill— a protagonist fights for her life against a mammoth-sized creature for an hour plus — keeping the audience engaged rests on the strength of her performance. Brown delivers. Each time she nearly falls, shock crawls across her face — her eyes widen, her mouth quivers, her breath seizes. Each time she huffs and puffs her way up a wall, her muscles straining, a combination of determination and exhaustion characterize her climb. Each time she wails in agony from a burn, we cower in response from the safety of our cushy couches.
Brown plays a wronged woman turned warrior with a believable sense of both despair and resolve. She’s not too undaunted, as such would be unrealistic, but she’s not too much of a damsel as to squelch her survival instinct.
Brown also benefits from adorable exchanges with her sister — brief but powerful and realistic moments underscore their closeness with minimal screen time dedicated to their relationship. She is a quipster from the onset — challenging the man she is meant to marry before discovering his true intentions. Elodie’s verbal cleverness and mental acuity witnessed at the onset seamlessly lays the groundwork for her later rise to strong-willed supremacy, and Brown delivers punchy lines that could easily grow eye-roll-worthy in the wrong hands with cute and smirk-inducing conviction.
