Millie Bobby Brown’s Damsel Was Ruined By Netflix’s Release Plan

While Millie Bobby Brown’s latest film, Damsel, received less-than-stellar reviews from critics due to its simple story and questionable CGI, there may be another issue at play that has to do with Netflix and the movie’s release plan. Damsel is a fantasy adventure film released by Netflix at the beginning of March 2024. It follows Stranger Things star Millie Bobby Brown as Princess Elodie, a young woman who agrees to marry a prince, only to find that he has set her up to be killed by a dragon. The movie earned a 56% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Damsel did not necessarily flop, but upon its release, reviews were mixed. Notably, audiences liked it more than critics, who gave the movie a 64% on Rotten Tomatoes and praised Damsel’s star-studded cast, and particularly Millie Bobby Brown’s performance, along with its flipping of the stereotypical damsel-in-distress narrative. However, both critics and audiences attributed to Damsel’s biggest complaints: that it was simple and predictable, with nothing particularly new or exciting to bring to the genre. Aside from the movie’s content, though, there may be a different reason why Damsel disappointed its viewers.

Netflix’s Damsel Should Have Had A 2-Part Release Plan

One unexpected reason why Damsel did poorly was because Netflix should have made it into two films. This 2-part movie release plan is not uncommon for Netflix, who recently released the first of two movies in a new sci-fi franchise, Rebel Moon. If Netflix had given Damsel the same treatment, it might have received better reviews. The main reason for this is that Damsel had a strong start, but lost steam by its ending.

In particular, Damsel should have spent one movie following Elodie being tricked by the prince and thrown to the dragon, and another movie seeing her travel back to the kingdom to get her revenge. By doing this, each movie would have its own distinct ambiance rather than merging the two together. Furthermore, each half of the story would get more time to be expanded on and well-paced, especially the second half. Finally, with two movies, the anticipation for the Damsel’s ultimate ending would have been much higher, and perhaps audiences could have become more invested.

Why A Different Release Plan Would Have Saved Damsel

Ultimately, a 2-part movie release would have saved Damsel because it would give the film extra time to be interesting. There was a lot to fit into a single film, and as a result, the story ended up being fairly predictable. But with more time, Damsel could have gotten its original point across while also adding new and exciting details that would make it stand out from other fantasy films. Two films would allow for more plot, more character development, and an all-around better story. But unfortunately, Damsel only received one movie, and has suffered for it.