It was a packed week for new releases in theaters, on streaming, and on VOD. Below are my thoughts on two big streaming releases from the weekend. You can keep up with everything I’m watching by following me on Letterboxd @knighthawk7734.

Damsel (Netflix)
Starring: Millie Bobby Brown, Angela Bassett, Robin Wright, Ray Winstone, and Nick Robinson
Synopsis: Despite its title, this isn’t a story of a young woman in need of rescue. Instead, it’s the story of a plucky hero who manages to save herself. Elodie (Brown) is the eldest daughter of Lord Bayford (Winstone). A marriage proposal from Prince Henry (Robinson) offers Elodie’s family and her kingdom a way out. It provides enough funds to keep them from starving during the winter. But it turns out this proposal comes with some series strings as Henry’s mother, Queen Isabelle (Wright) needs a young princess to help save her own kingdom from its dark past. Brown is a good, young star. She gives her all here, but the film built around her isn’t worthy of those efforts. There’s some nice visual flourishes and some interesting action sequences, but the story is by-the-numbers and predictable. In addition, the characters lack depth and definition. Even Elodie isn’t well fleshed out. I enjoyed Brown and there are some fun moments here but it’s not a great film.
Rating: Rated PG-13 for sequences of strong creature violence, action, and bloody images.

Ricky Stanicky (Prime Video)
Starring: John Cena, Zac Efron, Andrew Santino, Jermaine Fowler, and William H. Macy
Synopsis: Pals Dean (Efron), JT (Santino), and Wes (Fowler) have been friends for a long time. They’ve also been making trouble for a long time. But they’ve always had an out—Ricky Stanicky. He’s the friend they created when they were first in a jam as boys. Now, 20 years later, he’s their excuse for everything that goes wrong, and every time they want to get away. But when their families become suspicious, it’s time to produce Ricky or admit to the lie. So, they hire a down-on-his-luck actor, Rod (Cena), to play the part. It gets their families off their back—at first. But it also puts them in more jeopardy when Rod isn’t ready to give up the role of a lifetime. This is a basic comedic set up with a solid cast. It’s also a wild story. If you watch the credits, you’ll see six writers—including director Peter Farrelly—credited with this screenplay. In addition, there are two more writers credited with the original story. That’s a lot of cooks in the kitchen, and you feel it throughout this production. At times, the film feels all over the place. There are some amusing moments, but the story is fairly predictable and none of the characters have much depth. Despite the talented cast, it is more fizzle than sizzle. I chuckled a few times, but at nearly two hours it also feels too long. I liked the potential in the idea, but this doesn’t all come together.
Rating: Rated R for sexual material, language throughout and some drug content.

Matthew Fox is a graduate of the Radio, Television and Film program at Biola University, and a giant nerd. He spends his free time watching movies, TV, and obsessing about football. He is a member of the FSWA. You can find him @knighthawk7734 on Twitter and as co-host of the Fantasy Football Roundtable Podcast.