When Stranger Things first premiered on Netflix, it captivated audiences with its nostalgic storytelling and vivid characters, all brought to life by a crop of exciting new talent. None of these young actors have had quite the same pop cultural impact as Millie Bobby Brown, however, the then-twelve-year-old English actress playing the star-making role of Eleven.
Since then, the ensuing seasons and continued prevalence of Stranger Things as a pop culture juggernaut at Netflix continued to raise the profile of Brown and her co-stars, making them not just one-time child stars (as were so often found in the genre they’re paying homage to) but certified rising stars. But while Finn Wolfhard, Caleb McLaughlin, and Sadie Sink have geared their efforts toward acting, Brown has set her sights higher. In addition to starring in a trio of films for Netflix (Enola Holmes, its sequel, and now Damsel), Bobby Brown has served as a producer on all three films as well, expanding her influence both behind and in front of the camera.
At just 20 years old, Millie Bobby Brown isn’t just a blossoming movie star; she’s a full-fledged producer working behind the scenes to get projects off the ground under PCMA Productions, her production company. With PCMA, Bobby Brown has served up three vehicles for her to work on growing her brand as a starlet and taking on the kind of projects she wants to star in—and if the Enola Holmes films and Damsel are any indication, Brown has set her sights squarely on the female-led action-adventure genre.
Though she hasn’t starred in any traditional big-budget action blockbusters since 2019’s Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Bobby Brown is instead carving out her own niche, a distinctly female empowerment-infused twist on fast-paced adventure archetypes. Sure, both the Enola Holmes films and Damsel boast star-studded casts (including the likes of Angela Bassett, Helena Bonham Carter, and Henry Cavill), but while the flashy casting and the reliance on familiar stories and characters may look like something of a safety net, they feel almost tertiary—in reality, all Brown needs to make a film soar is herself.
Is Damsel a 5-star film? Unfortunately, no. The script is sparse and full of missed opportunities, the visual effects are questionable, and the direction and cinematography are painfully clunky. But where Damsel struggles as a vehicle for compelling storytelling or a feat of visual filmmaking, it soars as a showcase of Millie Bobby Brown’s strengths as a performer—the ability to craft compelling young action heroines and carry a film solely on her own merit. Damsel, in particular, gives her the chance to get gritty—though PG-13, the film features plenty of sequences of Brown screaming, clawing, and bleeding her way through a treacherous dragon’s hoard.
Though Damsel’s story is paper thin (the gist is that a royal kingdom marries young princesses into the family to sacrifice them to a vengeful dragon), the story has a few poignant moments that emphasize the cynical nature of Princess Elodie’s (Brown) plight—how she’s not the first girl to be tossed into the cave, and that she comes from a long line of unlikely female warriors ahead of her. In the end, it’s the maps, guidance, and inspiration from her fallen predecessors that propels Elodie to victory—the film features a triumphant, crispy ending in which she allies with the dragon to seek vengeance on the kingdom that wronged them.
While “127 Hours meets Dungeons and Dragons” certainly is a succinct way to describe Damsel, the continued prevalence of themes like sisterhood, female empowerment, and young women taking charge of their destiny is eerily reminiscent of a classic female-led action series: Buffy the Vampire Slayer. From the fated heroine storyline to her unlikely allyship with the so-called villain of her story, Elodie certainly has a healthy dose of Buffy in her, which leaves me wondering … what would a Millie Bobby Brown Buffy the Vampire Slayer series look like?
Don’t get me wrong—I’m by no means chomping at the bit for a Buffy reboot. But with rumors (fueled by Dolly Parton, of all people) already circulating that a Buffy revamp is in the works after plans initially stalled in 2018, one wonders if there might be worse candidates to pick up the stake than Millie Bobby Brown. Not only does she have three names (I kid, I kid), but Bobby Brown’s active role in the production and creative end of her projects makes a powerful case for why she might be the right fit to take on such an iconic character.
Even if she may be slightly too old for the title role (but hey, when has that ever stopped teen drama casting directors before?), having Millie Bobby Brown onboard as a producer would make for a pretty compelling addition to a potential Buffy reboot, especially if she’s going to bring the same creative sensibilities she had on Enola Holmes and Damsel. Though the world may have met her with Stranger Things, projects like Damsel prove that Millie Bobby Brown has the chops to become a powerful, bonafide force in Hollywood.
(featured image: Netflix)
