Happily ever after… In fairy tales, we automatically know what this means. Beautiful princess threatened by evil stepmother, handsome prince swoops in and saves her. Common tropes, right? And they work most of the time. We as readers or movie goers share a common vocabulary as we enjoy our tales.
But what happens when you switch it up? What if the princess is tough and no-nonsense? What if the evil stepmother is trying to help her? What if handsome prince is really a spineless coward?
Today I am recommending the 2024 fantasy movie Damsel. Released on Netflix, the streamer’s summary says it all. “A young woman’s marriage to a charming prince turns into a fierce fight for survival when she’s offered up as a sacrifice to a fire-breathing dragon.” That sums it up in very few words! Starring Millie Bobbie Brown (Stranger Things), Robin Wright (The Princess Bride, Forrest Gump), and Angela Basset (911, How Stella Got Her Groove Back, Tina), this movie received mixed reviews. I will admit I started watching this movie with zero expectations. It did receive some good reviews, but what I saw was overwhelmingly ‘disappointing’, ‘lackluster’, ‘boring’.
They didn’t watch the same movie I did. I loved it. Action, sword fights, dragons, plucky heroine… I am looking forward to watching it again and I am hoping for a sequel!
I am not giving away too many spoilers since the Netflix description literally tells you this. The movie starts with our heroine Elodie (played by Millie Bobbie Brown) chopping wood in a barren landscape. She is a noble lady, typically above such activity. But her people are cold and starving, so she does what she must to help them. When she arrives back at her home, her father tells her she is to leave her family and country to marry Prince Henry of Aurea. She has never met him. She would be leaving everything she knows and loves. The bride price, however, would save her people. So in true noble fashion, she once again does what she must and agrees to the marriage
Upon arriving in her new home, Elodie notices strange things. Who is that girl in the tower across from hers? What is that mysterious fire glowing up the mountain? Why is her father acting so nervous after a closed-door meeting with Queen Isobelle? Is her stepmother right about the Queen’s strange behavior?
Soon after their arrival, the marriage takes place. Elodie is happy and looking forward to her life. That doesn’t last long. She and her new royal family take a trek up the mountain to that mysterious fire. The Queen makes a pretty speech about family and tradition but then reveals the real reason for the ancient ritual atop the mountain. Long ago, dragons and mankind lived in Aurea together. But then the dragons attacked. After decades of fighting, there was soon only one dragon left. To ensure peace, the king makes a pact with the dragon. He will sacrifice his three daughters for the safety of his country. To fulfill that pact made long ago, each generation must now sacrifice three princesses of royal blood. And Elodie just married the prince and is now a princess! How convenient!
This is when Elodie realizes the honeymoon is over before it even starts. Her new husband picks her up and throws her into a pit. There in the deep caverns underground, she meets… you guessed it. The dragon. The dragon who breathes fire. The dragon who is determined to kill her.
I am going to stop there in my plot summary. What follows is action, female empowerment, survival, and the realization that traditions and beliefs may not be based on accurate information. You root for the underdog, you boo at the villains, you empathize with misjudged characters. I cannot recommend this movie enough. It is a fun way to spend two hours huddled on the couch with a big bowl of popcorn.
**There is a Kindle book version on Amazon! Based on the screenplay and written by Evelyn Skye. I am definitely going to check this out!
A damsel in distress takes on the dragon herself in this epic twist on classic fantasy. Based on a screenplay by Dan Mazeau, this is a groundbreaking collaboration between New York Times bestselling author Evelyn Skye and the team behind the upcoming Netflix film Damsel, starring Millie Bobby Brown.
A price must be paid.
Elodie never dreamed of a lavish palace or a handsome prince. As she grew up in the famine-stricken realm of Inophe, her deepest wish was to help her people survive each winter. So when a representative from a rich, reclusive kingdom offers her family enough wealth to save Inophe in exchange for Elodie’s hand in marriage, she accepts without hesitation. Swept away to the glistening kingdom of Aurea, Elodie is quickly taken in by the beauty of the realm—and of her betrothed, Prince Henry.
But as Elodie undertakes the rituals to become an Aurean princess, doubts prick at her mind as cracks in the kingdom’s perfect veneer begin to show: A young woman who appears and vanishes from the castle tower. A parade of torches weaving through the mountains. Markings left behind in a mysterious V. Too late, she discovers that Aurea’s prosperity has been purchased at a heavy cost—each harvest season, the kingdom sacrifices its princesses to a hungry dragon. And Elodie is the next sacrifice.
This ancient arrangement has persisted for centuries, leading hundreds of women to their deaths. But the women who came before Elodie did not go quietly. Their blood pulses with power and memory, and their experiences hold the key to Elodie’s survival. Forced to fight for her life, this damsel must use her wits to defeat a dragon, uncover Aurea’s past, and save not only herself but the future of her new kingdom as well.
