• Latest
  • Trending
Damsel Review

Damsel Review: When Revisionism Risks Regression

Hi-Five Review

Hi-Five Review: An Origin Story on Fast-Forward

28 Years Later Review

28 Years Later Review: A Saga Begun, Not Ended

Soul Reaper Review

Soul Reaper Review: Indonesian Folk Horror That Haunts Your Dreams

Mindhunter

David Fincher Weighs Mindhunter Revival as Film Trilogy

1 hour ago
How to Train Your Dragon

‘Elio’ Lands With a Thud as Pixar Records Its Worst Opening Weekend

2 hours ago
Seth Rogen

Seth Rogen Courts Vin Diesel for ‘The Studio’ Season 2

2 hours ago
Jack Betts

Jack Betts, Spaghetti-Western Export and Spider-Man Board Chief, Dies at 96

2 hours ago
Amanda Seyfried

Here We Go Again? Seyfried, Craymer Push Mamma Mia 3 Forward

2 hours ago
Lynn Hamilton

Lynn Hamilton, Steady Star of ‘Sanford and Son,’ Dies at 95

2 hours ago
Promised Hearts Review

Promised Hearts Review: Melodrama Meets Existential Yearning

Borrowed Time: Lennon’s Last Decade Review

Borrowed Time: Lennon’s Last Decade Review – Conversations in the Dakota Shadows

Still Wakes the Deep: Siren’s Rest Review

Still Wakes the Deep: Siren’s Rest Review – Revisiting a Sunken Legacy

  • Home
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Gazettely Review Guidelines
Saturday, June 21, 2025
GAZETTELY
  • Home
  • Movie and TV News
    Mindhunter

    David Fincher Weighs Mindhunter Revival as Film Trilogy

    How to Train Your Dragon

    ‘Elio’ Lands With a Thud as Pixar Records Its Worst Opening Weekend

    Seth Rogen

    Seth Rogen Courts Vin Diesel for ‘The Studio’ Season 2

    Jack Betts

    Jack Betts, Spaghetti-Western Export and Spider-Man Board Chief, Dies at 96

    Amanda Seyfried

    Here We Go Again? Seyfried, Craymer Push Mamma Mia 3 Forward

    Lynn Hamilton

    Lynn Hamilton, Steady Star of ‘Sanford and Son,’ Dies at 95

    Owen Wilson

    Owen Wilson Rejoins Stiller and De Niro as ‘Meet the Parents 4’ Sets 2026 Release

    Pretty Little Liars Stars

    After Reboot’s Demise, Pretty Little Liars Cast Plots Big-Screen Return

    jackie chan and bruce lee

    Bruce Lee Returns—Digitally—as Beijing Launches $14 M Restoration Drive

  • Movie and TV Reviews
    Hi-Five Review

    Hi-Five Review: An Origin Story on Fast-Forward

    28 Years Later Review

    28 Years Later Review: A Saga Begun, Not Ended

    Soul Reaper Review

    Soul Reaper Review: Indonesian Folk Horror That Haunts Your Dreams

    Promised Hearts Review

    Promised Hearts Review: Melodrama Meets Existential Yearning

    Borrowed Time: Lennon’s Last Decade Review

    Borrowed Time: Lennon’s Last Decade Review – Conversations in the Dakota Shadows

    America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Season 2 Review

    America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Season 2 Review — From Tryouts to Takeover

    Pinch Review

    Pinch Review: Sharp Humor Meets Social Reckoning

    Kian's Bizarre B&B Review

    Kian’s Bizarre B&B Review: The Most Original, and Flawed, Vacation of the Year

    Outrageous Season 1 Review

    Outrageous Season 1 Review: Champagne and Cyanide

  • Game Reviews
    Still Wakes the Deep: Siren’s Rest Review

    Still Wakes the Deep: Siren’s Rest Review – Revisiting a Sunken Legacy

    TRON: Catalyst Review

    TRON: Catalyst Review: More Style Than Substance

    FBC: Firebreak Review

    FBC: Firebreak Review: Corporate Chaos and Cooperative Action

    Date Everything Review 1

    Date Everything! Review: You’ll Never Look at Your Toaster the Same Way

    Lost in Random: The Eternal Die Review

    Lost in Random: The Eternal Die Review: All Style, Less Story

    Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster Review

    Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster Review: A Dialogue With Tradition

    Yakuza 0 Director's Cut Review

    Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut Review: Neon Lights and Brutal Fights

    Trident's Tale Review

    Trident’s Tale Review: Buried Treasure or Fool’s Gold?

    The Siege and the Sandfox Review

    The Siege and the Sandfox Review: A Pixel-Perfect Prison Break

  • The Bests
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Movie and TV News
    Mindhunter

    David Fincher Weighs Mindhunter Revival as Film Trilogy

    How to Train Your Dragon

    ‘Elio’ Lands With a Thud as Pixar Records Its Worst Opening Weekend

    Seth Rogen

    Seth Rogen Courts Vin Diesel for ‘The Studio’ Season 2

    Jack Betts

    Jack Betts, Spaghetti-Western Export and Spider-Man Board Chief, Dies at 96

    Amanda Seyfried

    Here We Go Again? Seyfried, Craymer Push Mamma Mia 3 Forward

    Lynn Hamilton

    Lynn Hamilton, Steady Star of ‘Sanford and Son,’ Dies at 95

    Owen Wilson

    Owen Wilson Rejoins Stiller and De Niro as ‘Meet the Parents 4’ Sets 2026 Release

    Pretty Little Liars Stars

    After Reboot’s Demise, Pretty Little Liars Cast Plots Big-Screen Return

    jackie chan and bruce lee

    Bruce Lee Returns—Digitally—as Beijing Launches $14 M Restoration Drive

  • Movie and TV Reviews
    Hi-Five Review

    Hi-Five Review: An Origin Story on Fast-Forward

    28 Years Later Review

    28 Years Later Review: A Saga Begun, Not Ended

    Soul Reaper Review

    Soul Reaper Review: Indonesian Folk Horror That Haunts Your Dreams

    Promised Hearts Review

    Promised Hearts Review: Melodrama Meets Existential Yearning

    Borrowed Time: Lennon’s Last Decade Review

    Borrowed Time: Lennon’s Last Decade Review – Conversations in the Dakota Shadows

    America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Season 2 Review

    America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Season 2 Review — From Tryouts to Takeover

    Pinch Review

    Pinch Review: Sharp Humor Meets Social Reckoning

    Kian's Bizarre B&B Review

    Kian’s Bizarre B&B Review: The Most Original, and Flawed, Vacation of the Year

    Outrageous Season 1 Review

    Outrageous Season 1 Review: Champagne and Cyanide

  • Game Reviews
    Still Wakes the Deep: Siren’s Rest Review

    Still Wakes the Deep: Siren’s Rest Review – Revisiting a Sunken Legacy

    TRON: Catalyst Review

    TRON: Catalyst Review: More Style Than Substance

    FBC: Firebreak Review

    FBC: Firebreak Review: Corporate Chaos and Cooperative Action

    Date Everything Review 1

    Date Everything! Review: You’ll Never Look at Your Toaster the Same Way

    Lost in Random: The Eternal Die Review

    Lost in Random: The Eternal Die Review: All Style, Less Story

    Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster Review

    Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster Review: A Dialogue With Tradition

    Yakuza 0 Director's Cut Review

    Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut Review: Neon Lights and Brutal Fights

    Trident's Tale Review

    Trident’s Tale Review: Buried Treasure or Fool’s Gold?

    The Siege and the Sandfox Review

    The Siege and the Sandfox Review: A Pixel-Perfect Prison Break

  • The Bests
No Result
View All Result
GAZETTELY
No Result
View All Result
Damsel Review

5lbs of Pressure Review: A Searing Exploration of Consequence and Redemption

Boarders Review: Navigating Privilege and Identity at an Elite School

Home Entertainment Movies

Damsel Review: When Revisionism Risks Regression

Dissecting the Draconic Downfall of Fairy Tale Sexism

Arash Nahandian by Arash Nahandian
1 year ago
in Entertainment, Movies, Reviews
Reading Time: 6 mins read
A A
0
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on PinterestShare on WhatsAppShare on Telegram

In an era where young minds are increasingly conscious of patriarchal norms and antiquated gender roles, Netflix’s “Damsel” arrives as a potent allegory – challenging the very foundations upon which classic fairy tales were constructed. This grim fantasy presents itself as a subversive revisionist tale, where the conventional ‘damsel in distress’ narrative is cast aside in favor of an empowered heroine taking her fate into her own capable hands.

Yet, does director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo’s film truly shatter the glass ceiling and liberate itself from the shackles of cliché? Or does it ultimately succumb to the very tropes it seeks to upend, settling for shallow bromides rather than substantive social commentary? Unsheathing my critical blade, I shall meticulously dissect this cinematic beast – appraising both its valiant strides towards progressivism and its faltering stumbles back into regressivism’s familiarity.

Sacrificial Rites and Dragon Flights

In the frigid realm of Lord Bayford, desperation has taken root – the wealthy kingdom of Aurea arrives bearing an enticing proposal to marry off Bayford’s daughter Elodie to their prince. Despite misgivings, Elodie obliges, hoping to rescue her people from squalor. She journeys to Aurea’s opulent castle, lured by the dashing Prince Henry and his regal mother Queen Isabelle.

Yet this fairy tale quickly curdles into a darkly twisted nightmare. Upon uttering her wedding vows, Elodie finds herself cruelly sacrificed – cast into the lair of a fearsome dragon as per an ancient pact struck by Aurea’s founders. Her glistening bridal gown now tattered rags, the resolute princess must lean on her wits to survive the inferno’s wrath and escape this treacherous cave system.

As Elodie delves deeper, she discovers the scorched remains of princesses before her – all offered up to sate the beast’s hunger across generations of ritualistic subjugation. Clues and whispers from these unlucky maidens’ phantoms guide her towards uncovering the truth behind Aurea’s draconic arrangement. The very kingdom that celebrated her nuptials now hunts her with murderous intent.

With tenacity becoming of a heroine, Elodie navigates the increasingly hazardous labyrinth – fashioning tools from her torn dress, following faint bioluminescent trails, and scrambling to outmaneuver the fiery, vengeful dragon’s pursuit through dimly lit caverns. Her path to liberation, however, may require confronting not just her bestial captor, but the oppressive patriarchal forces that enabling this barbaric tradition.

Sights Singed and Sumptuous

Under the assured hand of director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, “Damsel” proves a cinematic spectacle that dazzles the senses when permitted to truly flex its technical muscles. The Spanish filmmaker, whose previous forays into dark fantasy like “28 Weeks Later” hinted at his penchant for macabre grandeur, wields the tools of grand-scale fantasy with a deft understanding of visual opulence.

Damsel Review

The lavish production design and costume work are worthy of the silver screen’s most prestigious period epics. The ornate majesty of Aurea’s royal castle and liturgical ceremonies ooze with resplendent regality that belies the insidious evil lurking beneath. Likewise, Elodie’s intricately embroidered wedding gown epitomizes the meticulous craftsmanship that has imbued even the most minute set and wardrobe elements with a lived-in authenticity.

It is within the dank, foreboding confines of the dragon’s cavernous lair, however, where Fresnadillo’s directorial talents shine most blisteringly. While certain exterior vistas of Aurea’s topography can feel hastily computer-rendered, the subterranean realm spiels of tangible, brilliantly lit alcoves and yawning abysses. The ingenious juxtaposition of bioluminescent glow worms’ ethereal blueness with the searing orange fury of the dragon’s flames produces a striking chromatic interplay.

The visual effects brilliance crescendos in bringing the titular, gargantuan beast herself to scaly, scorching vitality. Despite inevitably lacking the sheer enormity of a practical effect, the computer wizardry has imbued this razor-fanged titan with a startling dynamism – amplified further by the charismatic, smoke-tinged vocal performance of Shohreh Aghdashloo. Slithering with menacing gravitas, the dragon emerges as more than just a mere antagonistic obstacle, but a formidable, multi-layered force to be reckoned with.

Talents Torched and Tempered

At the fiery heart of “Damsel” beats the commitment of its ensemble cast, comprised of both rising talents and established luminaries striving to elevate this revisionist fairy tale beyond mere studio banality.

Damsel Review

Anchoring the film through an impressive physical and emotional gauntlet is Millie Bobby Brown as the tenacious Princess Elodie. Having cut her teeth on meticulously layered characters in series like “Stranger Things,” Brown demonstrates a commanding grasp over Elodie’s transformative journey – effortlessly transitioning from prim nobility to soot-stained warrior. While her vocal delivery can occasionally lapse into overly melodramatic territory, the young actress mines profound reserves of grit and determination that render her heroine’s plight viscerally palpable.

Brown’s efforts are complemented by an eclectic supporting cast of British thespian royalty. Ray Winstone lends patriarchal warmth as Elodie’s loving father, while Angela Bassett radiates regal concern as her watchful stepmother. As the villainous puppet master orchestrating this medieval horror show, Robin Wright employs her icy star power to chilling effect – her deceptively benevolent Queen Isabelle masking bottomless depths of sociopathic malice.

Stealing every scene she appears in without ever physically gracing the frame is Shohreh Aghdashloo as the sinister, velvet-toned voice of the dragon itself. Aghdashloo’s theatrical delivery infuses this primordial titan with a wicked, taunting gravitas that elevates it from mere CGI spectacle to a multi-faceted emotional antagonist. Her venomous words sear as intensely as the dragon’s flames themselves.

Though some performances can veer towards campy hysterics at times, the core ensemble remains committed to imbuing even the most archetypal characters with a grounded, lived-in authenticity that prevents “Damsel” from devolving into pure fantasy schlock. These talents, scorched by the crucible of their ordeal, forge an entertaining character piece from within the blockbuster bombast.

Patriarchy’s Pyre Stoked, Then Smothered

From its brazenly forthright title to its opening salvo challenging conventional chivalric tropes, “Damsel” decisively plants its battle flag in the increasingly fertile soil of feminist fantasy revision. This overt clarion call signals the film’s narrative ambitions – to upend the regressive “women as perpetual victims” paradigm woven into centuries of classic fables and usher in a new era of emboldened heroines dictating their own destiny.

Damsel Review

The central figure spearheading this reclamation is, of course, Millie Bobby Brown’s Elodie. Her arc follows the quintessential hero’s journey from naïve ingénue blindly trusting in the establishment’s empty promises to a self-actualized, almost feral force of feminine determination and grit. Shedding her ornate bridal gown – quite literally stripping away the decorative patriarchal trappings imposed upon her – Elodie embraces an almost primordial state of being by journey’s end.

Director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo seems to delight in subverting the male gaze’s lascivious objectification so prevalent in fantasy’s visual language. While a lesser film might have indulged in leering fetishization, the visual metaphor of Elodie’s tattered dress is instead wielded to symbolize her character’s escalating autonomy and self-ownership. She becomes divine feminine fury incarnate.

Yet for all its boldly progressive overtones, “Damsel” ultimately proves only a half-measure in its feminist posturing. The script routinely defaults to regressive clichés – making Prince Henry an ineffectual, emasculated archetype and bestowing the true villainy upon the orchestrating matriarch Queen Isabelle. This patriarchal subversiveness winds up subverted in itself, with the film doubling back on the same tired tropes of misogynistic conflict between “good” and “bad” women.

More intriguing are the allegorical threads of colonialism woven into Elodie’s plight. As the indigenous dragon herself elucidates through Shohreh Aghdashloo’s smoky vocal performance, she and the primordial isle of Aurea itself are the story’s true subjugated victims. The dragonslaying knights of yore merely set the stage for the establishment of Aurea’s new imperialist order by human settlers – a dominion perpetuated through the systemic oppression of the island and its native apex predator.

The indigenous dragon, then, rages as the furious, righteous spirit of nature itself against the plunderers and defilers of her ancestral homeland. Whereas Elodie fights to liberate herself from the bounds of patriarchal tyranny, the dragon’s own struggle attains a more globally resonant environmental/anti-colonial dimension sadly unexplored beyond mere subtext.

Laudable in its thematic ambitions yet only partially successful in achieving them, “Damsel” represents a step in the right direction for a genre gradually outgrowing its most antiquated, oppressive roots. This hybrid of misfire and bullseye scorches new trails while leaving others still satisfyingly smoldering for the next generation of mythmakers to follow.

Embers of Evolution

While the lurid spectacle of Damsel’s fiery conflicts may initially enthrall, the smoke eventually clears to reveal a film struggling to fully emerge from the ashes of its own ambition. For all its boldly revisionist premise centered on dismantling the prototypical “damsel in distress” myth, Juan Carlos Fresnadillo’s dark fantasy too often defaults to the very regressive tropes it purports to subvert.

Damsel Review

Commendable sparks of feminist empowerment and allegorical anti-colonialism ignite sporadically, only to be smothered by clumsy character arcs and thematic detours into well-trodden territory. Compared to genre contemporaries like the ruthlessly efficient “The Princess” which replicated this formula with more precision, Damsel proves a somewhat scattered mis-fire of uneven execution.

And yet, one cannot deny the glimmers of meaningful evolution peeking through the haze. An admirable central performance from Millie Bobby Brown anchors the adventure, while the lush production design and inventive folklore recontextualization crackle with tantalizing flashes of inspiration. For all its flaws, Damsel remains a smoke signal of change amidst the stagnant smolder of fantasy’s archaic patriarchy.

From these embers shall surely rise bolder revisionist fires – infernos that will not be so easily extinguished by the winds of complacency. Damsel may only be a stepping stone towards grander, more subversive conflagrations to come.  But like the girl who walked through fire, its mere existence has sparked an overdue evolution that shall burn ever brighter on the genre’s horizon.

The Review

Damsel

6 Score

"Damsel" takes bold strides to revise patriarchal fantasy tropes through a feminist lens, but stumbles under the weight of its own ambition. Millie Bobby Brown shines, but uneven execution and retreats into cliché diminish the film's revolutionary fire to mere embers. A flawed but provocative step towards dismantling antiquated norms.

PROS

  • Millie Bobby Brown's committed lead performance
  • Stunning visuals and production design
  • Bold feminist premise subverting "damsel in distress" tropes
  • Allegorical exploration of colonialism/environmental themes
  • Shohreh Aghdashloo's chilling vocal performance as the dragon

CONS

  • Uneven execution and pacing issues
  • Retreats into regressive character clichés
  • Thematic ambitions not fully realized
  • Over-reliance on fantasy adventure tropes
  • Some campy/melodramatic acting from supporting cast

Review Breakdown

  • Overall 0
Tags: ActionAdventureAngela BassettBrooke CarterDamsel (2024)FantasyFeaturedJuan Carlos FresnadilloMillie Bobby BrownRay Winstone
Previous Post

5lbs of Pressure Review: A Searing Exploration of Consequence and Redemption

Next Post

Boarders Review: Navigating Privilege and Identity at an Elite School

Try AI Movie Recommender

Gazettely AI Movie Recommender

This Week's Top Reads

  • Marshmallow Review

    Marshmallow Review: These Woods Hide Unexpected Secrets

    4 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Art Detectives Review: The Case of the Brilliant Man and the Underwritten Woman

    166 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • We Were Liars Season 1 Review: Paradise Lost on Beechwood Island

    6 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Mix Tape Review: A Story Told on Two Sides of a Cassette

    1 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Boglands Review: Shadows and Whispers in the Irish Mist

    1 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • The Librarians: The Next Chapter Season 1 Review – Bridging Eras with Spellbinding Charm

    44 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Patience Review: Challenging Stereotypes in Crime Drama

    1 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Must Read Articles

28 Years Later Review
Movies

28 Years Later Review: A Saga Begun, Not Ended

50 minutes ago
F1: The Movie Review
Movies

F1: The Movie Review: An Engineered Ecstasy That Sputters at the Finish

4 days ago
Elio Review
Movies

Elio Review: Lost in a Beautiful Cosmos

4 days ago
K.O. Review
Movies

K.O. Review: This Heavyweight Contender Lands Solid, If Predictable, Blows

4 days ago
The Chelsea Detective Season 3 Review
Entertainment

The Chelsea Detective Season 3 Review: The Moral Topography of a Postal Code

5 days ago
Loading poll ...
Coming Soon
Who is the best director in the horror thriller genre?

Gazettely is your go-to destination for all things gaming, movies, and TV. With fresh reviews, trending articles, and editor picks, we help you stay informed and entertained.

© 2021-2024 All Rights Reserved for Gazettely

What’s Inside

  • Movie & TV Reviews
  • Game Reviews
  • Featured Articles
  • Latest News
  • Editorial Picks

Quick Links

  • Home
  • About US
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise with Us
  • Review Guidelines

Follow Us

Facebook X-twitter Youtube Instagram
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Movies
  • Entertainment News
  • Movie and TV Reviews
  • TV Shows
  • Game News
  • Game Reviews
  • Contact Us

© 2024 All Rights Reserved for Gazettely

Go to mobile version