Millie Bobby Brown stars in the official teaser trailer for Netflix’s Damsel. And before this teaser came out during Geeked Week, we knew that it was going to have the Netflix darling battling it out with a fire-breathing dragon. We also knew that the title of the movie meant that they were going to do a twist on the well-known “damsel in distress” trope. Elodie, who is the character Brown is playing, will be her own hero. What we didn’t know was how she got there and why.
Now we do. And it smells of fuckery.
Elodie was set to marry the handsome prince. And after traveling to the royal family’s home, it becomes apparent that they weren’t telling the whole truth. She’s not meant to marry the prince. She’s meant to be a sacrifice to “repay an ancient debt.” Elodie is then thrown into a cave with the dragon and has to use her wits to survive and get out. Because she wasn’t the first to be sacrificed but maybe she will be the last damsel thrown into this situation.
That’s where our BIG theory comes in. Or mine at least.
If this is an ancient debt, that means that that dragon is sentient. Like they understand humans enough to strike a bargain in the first place. But it also means that the humans have something on the dragon. Something that would make a powerful dragon agree to something like this in the first place instead of just burning this shit to the ground. So…what if the dragon is trapped by the humans? Cursed to be in the form of a dragon when they’re actually human? And what if this is how the crown keeps power; by throwing their weight around as if they had the power to protect the town from a “stupid” but “fearsome” dragon.
Personally, this smells like an epic fuckery. And if the movie itself is going to be a twist on the whole “damsel in distress” trope, then maybe there’s something about the dragon as well. And sure, a part of it is because I stumbled across that Russian movie I Am Dragon that has a woman kidnapped by a dragon who is actually a dragon who shifts into a human, doesn’t remember, and has a bunch of angst and shit before they fall in love. But there are scenes in the trailer where the mountain is literally exploding in fire and the current Prince is looking up at the windy sky in shock…so it stands to reason that there is more to this dragon.
Here’s hoping there is something different to this dragon and that Elodie teams up with them to show the royal family what she’s truly made of. Because as much as I like a monster who is just around to frighten the little ol’ human beings, I want something more. And I think Damsel could be that. Or I just loved Beauty & the Beast a little too much as a kid and am hoping for someone to make that magic again. Either way, I’m ready and willing to watch this movie when it drops in 2024.
Read the synopsis for Damsel below:
Damsel sees Brown as a dutiful, well, damsel, who agrees to marry a handsome prince — only to discover it was all a trap: The royal family recruited her as a sacrifice to repay an ancient debt. She’s then thrown into a cave with a fire-breathing dragon, relying solely on her wits and will to survive.
Watch the teaser trailer for Damsel below:
Damsel lands on Netflix in 2024.
