Liked Netflix's Damsel? 3 more movies you need to watch

Damsel is Netflix’s new fantasy film starring Millie Bobby Brown of Stranger Things fame.

It has pulled in the crowds, reaching Netflix’s number one spot globally. But the critics can’t quite agree on whether it’s a decent subversion of fantasy tropes, or as much of a slog for the viewer as it is for poor protagonist Elodie.

The good news is we have three suggestions for movies you’ll likely enjoy, whether to not you found Damsel a banger or a dud.

What are we looking for here? A fresh take on fantasy. These fantastical movies are rare enough these days, which is why we’re glad Damsel is the biggest Netflix movie week one success of the year so far. A classic or not, we wouldn’t mind seeing a bit more fantasy on our streaming services.

However, until those fallen kingdoms, grey beards, spells and swords scripts get commissioned by the bigwigs, here are three more fantasy hits for us all to chow down on.

Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

This was one of the most pleasant surprises of 2023. It’s a fantasy movie with sharp comedy and masses of the flavour of a D&D campaign. Not nerdy enough to know what that means? It where you and a group of friends go on an adventure together, deciding how to proceed at each turn with a story guided by a dungeon master (a role taken by another of your mates).

The film is a perfect mix of the serious and the silly, with enough weight to get you invested in the story. But enough pace and lightness to keep you grinning through its entire 144 minute runtime. It’s just a crying shame Dungeons and Dragons: Honour Among Thieves fell flat at the box office, grossing $208 million from a $150 production budget, which doesn’t include the many, many millions spent on marketing. Welp.

• Watch now on NOW (UK)
• Watch now on Paramount Plus (US)

The Green Knight

Here’s something we don’t see too often: an arthouse fantasy film. Dev Patel is Gwain, the knight of Arthurian legend who must venture out to face the green knight to prove his courage. If you found Damsel a bit thin and flimsy, The Green Knight is the antidote.

This film is thick with mythic resonance, while the middle English-influenced script has a poetic sensibility that enhances the sense of strangeness dripping off this movie. It’s also as much a horror film as anything else. You’ll dread the green knight by the end of this one.

• Watch now on Prime Video (UK)
• Watch now on MAX (US)

The Princess Bride

Many of you will already be more than familiar with The Princess Bride. It’s the OG of subverting fantasy cliches and tired tropes, and probably the most common fantasy film among folks’ top 10 movie lists outside of The Lord of the Rings movies.

Cary Elwes is Westley, a farmhand who must rescue his true love Buttercup (Robin Wright) from the clutches of Prince Humperdink.

It’s not the plot that made The Princess Bride a classic, though, but the script by screenwriting legend William Goldman. It’s based on the novel of the same name, also written by Goldman.

• Watch now on Lionsgate+ (UK)
• Watch now on Disney+ (US)

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