Damsel (2024)

Do you know when you see a trailer for a fantasy or action film and it actually gets you excited for the movie? When it came to Damsel, I will say I was disappointed. Perhaps my expectations were set higher than they should have been. All in all, Damsel is an okay movie. The concept and the storyline itself is actually very good. A princess made to marry a prince out of desperate times only to find herself tricked into a sacrificial tradition where she has to figure out how to survive on her own. That is a very strong storyline and if done correctly, could be an incredible film. But this one seems to have missed the mark. What ruined it for me personally was the introduction. The movie starts with Millie Bobby Brown (the leading actress known as Elodie) giving the opening line. “There are many stories of chivalry where the heroic knight saves the damsel in distress. This is not one of them”.  While there is nothing wrong with this line, it felt unnecessary and almost as if it was trying to force a feminist perspective. This somehow continues throughout the film where it forces a heroine a bit too heavily. 

We all love a story with a strong female lead who can protect herself but in this movie it overdid it. And to push it more, they made the male characters very weak and at times almost come across as pathetic. The villain called Prince Henry who was played by Nick Robinson was presented as a man who felt trapped in his family's sacrificial tradition. And while the character was bound by this said tradition whether he liked it or not, it very much felt like he didn’t have a brain to think for himself. It was as though he knew what he was doing was wrong but someone else was controlling him, which isn’t the case at all. Prince Henry deceived Elodie and let her fall to her death and all he could do was stand silently with a solemn expression. His character was nothing short of bland, forgettable and boring. 

It is truly disappointing, especially with the potential for a character like his to be great. He could have been made evil and vicious or even some on the opposite end of the spectrum as some sort of morally grey hero who initially made a mistake but realised and actively attempted to redeem himself. Instead, he became a bystander to his own problem because they had to make this movie in such a way that only women could be the big personality characters. While we need representation in films for strong women who are capable of saving themselves, it does not make sense to push men into the background as if they are a prop or tool rather than an actual character. 

Aside from this, the film has great potential. The quality of the movie is fantastic and the setting is absolutely perfect for the plot. Even the costumes and the acting is very good. Unfortunately, the forced feminism ruined what could have been a perfectly good movie. But who knows? You might enjoy it. This is just my opinion after all so I do recommend you check it out on netflix and make up your own mind unlike Prince Henry.