Elodie’s (Millie Bobby Brown) father agrees to exchange his daughter’s hand in marriage to a Prince for a vast array of riches that will save him and his people. However the royal family she is marrying into only need her as a sacrifice to a dragon as part of an ancient agreement that allows them to live in peace. 

Damsel is a bit of a damp squib that fails to be good at any one thing. It takes 35 of the 108 minute run time for Elodie to be thrown to the dragon, but somehow in that time we get to know very little about her or any of the other characters. Her father (Ray Winstone) is a bit stern, her stepmother (Angela Bassett) is trying hard to be a good mother to her new children and her sister (Brooke Carter) is very happy. Whilst the Queen (Robin Wright) believes herself above everyone and the Prince (Nick Robinson) really does not enjoy his role in trapping sacrifices but goes along with it anyway. None of the characters have any depth and as per its spin on a modern fairytale they all veer close to tropes you would expect to see. 

As far as its fairytale status goes it also features a terrifying dragon, a beautiful castle and wonderful vistas. Sometimes this works and others not so much. The effects work varies greatly and it is very clear when characters are standing in front of a green screen. 

When things finally get going Elodie’s adventure feels like a videogame. The idea of previous sacrifices having written her notes to help her success reminded me of many online games. Whilst her incremental progress and use of items only added to that feeling. 

The only facet of the game, I mean film that I found interesting was the fact that her spectacular wedding dress was almost a character in itself. It certainly had more of one than the King who mostly just stood in silence in the background. As Elodie levels up and heals she rips off more of the dress or uses it for other purposes. 

Ultimately this is an entirely mediocre spin on the damsel in distress story.