Doing what she thinks is best for her family, Elodie (Millie Bobby Brown) agrees to marry the handsome and seemingly perfect Prince Henry (Nick Robinson). When she realizes their union is a trap, it is too late – she’s thrown into a cave inhabited by a fire-breathing dragon and she must do whatever she can to survive.
Considering the fact that Netflix is known for putting out mediocre films, I went into this one with little to no expectations. Imagine my surprise when I found myself becoming invested and actually kind of enjoying myself?
While it takes way longer than it should to get going, the film did pick up in a big way. With no scene partner to work off of, Brown was completely at the forefront and I have to say that she totally delivered. Her tenacity and bravery to get to safety was thrilling to watch and I found myself waiting in bated breath to see how it would all turn out. Brown, who has been a Netflix protegee since Stranger Things, is certainly one to watch.
Though we don’t see them often, the additions of Ray Winstone, Angela Bassett and Robin Wright as the respective parents were selling points. Robinson unfortunately had quite a wooden performance as the prince thanks to some cringe worthy lines.
The special effects were mostly convincing save for a couple of green screen landscapes. The cave scenes in particular and the dragon itself was quite well done. At times it felt realistic and like the Kingdom of Aurea really does exist.
Damsel was way better than I was expecting it to be. Taking the damsel in distress trope and spinning it on its head was a brilliant idea. It’s no masterpiece by any means, but it made for an entertaining watch and that’s all that matters.
Rating: ♥️♥️♥️
Credits Rolling 