Credit: Tina Su

Join WSPN’s Torryn Carlson as she reviews the newly released Netflix movie, “Damsel.”

Warning: this article contains spoilers for “Damsel.”

I never saw any advertisement for “Damsel” until a movie night with my family. Though the movie was never broadcasted in theaters, it was released on Netflix on Friday, March 8. What caught my attention and convinced me to watch “Damsel” was the well-known actors in the film.

The main character of the film, Princess Elodie, is played by Millie Bobby Brown. Angela Bassett plays the step-mother, Robin Wright plays the queen and Nick Robinson plays the prince. As soon as I saw these actors in “Damsel’s” trailer, I knew I had to give the movie a shot. The trailer also highlights the magical aspects of the movie, such as the dragon and the ancient sacrifice that the royal family makes every generation, which left me at the edge of my seat in anticipation of the movie.

In the movie, Princess Elodie goes across lands with her family after a marriage agreement between two high-power families was made. What Elodie’s family doesn’t know until the day of Elodie’s marriage is that she is secretly a sacrifice in an ancient ceremony. Now, Elodie is in danger of being sacrificed to a dragon with a grudge against the royal family.

“Damsel” is dark, fantastical and historical. The whole movie holds you in suspense as Elodie runs from the dragon and finds her escape from the guarded cave while her step-mother tries to defend and protect her family from the queen. The performance of each of these well-known actors brought magical aspects to the film. Additionally, the special effects made the movie especially enthralling. The way the dragon was represented in both character and appearance was amazing.

While I enjoyed “Damsel,” there are some aspects of the film that confused me or made me cringe. I was especially disappointed in how the script was written for Brown. In one the scenes, Elodie was grunting and whining in an echoing cave while a dragon with a great sense of smell and hearing could hear her. I think that the script writers could have benefited from paying more attention to these small details, as it didn’t make sense to have Elodie making noises while the dragon who is hunting her could clearly hear her.

I also wish that there had been more advertisement and promotion for “Damsel.” I was confused about the lack of advertisement, and if I had had any knowledge of this film prior to watching it, I probably would’ve been more excited.

Overall, I thought the film was great. It is filled with royalty, wealth, magic and adventure. It is definitely a fantasy film that I would recommend and watch again. I would personally give it an 8/10. While the movie is not perfect for everyone, it is still a great movie to watch with both friends and family.