Commnetary: ‘Damsel’ Teaches Us To Overlook Plot Holes
by Frank Martin
Plot holes are usually held up as flaws in a story — and they should be. The idea is to make a plausible story that the audience can follow without questioning or being taken out of the fabricated nature of the plot. But stories are also more than just plot and characterization. They are an experience filled with action, suspense, humor, romance, and many other emotions. A plot can fail miserably while still satisfying these other areas. So it’s important to look beyond plot holes when judging a work, as is the case with the Millie Bobby Brown vehicle Damsel.
This fantasy story centers on a family in need of money to save their people from starvation. They sell off their eldest daughter, Elodie (Brown), to be married and become a princess in a nearby kingdom, but in reality, she is intended as a sacrifice to a dragon in order to keep the kingdom safe. But Elodie does not give up quietly. She escapes the dragon’s lair and learns the truth: the creature is only taking the sacrifices as revenge for a past king killing her babies. Once the lie is exposed, the girl and the dragon team up to bring down the kingdom for good.
The major plot hole arises from the dragon’s ability to sniff out royalty. This is how the dragon knows who to kill. But at one point, Elodie’s father enters the lair to save her and the dragon never questions why he doesn’t smell like royalty and she does. Also, the dragon is an intelligent being. And no point does Elodie try to reason with it until after the dragon is near death. But this plot hole can be overlooked because the film more or less succeeds in its attempt to be an action fantasy thrill ride. The special effects are great and Brown’s performance is exciting. The flaws in the story can be overlooked because there are other areas of the film that do their job well.
Damsel is now streaming on Netflix.