Released: October 10th, 2014
Rated: PG-13
Studio: Universal Pictures
Starring: Luke Evans, Sarah Gadon, Dominic Cooper,
Samantha Barks
Directed by: Gary Shore
Written by: Matt Sazama, Burk Sharpless
Personal Bias Alert: likes vampire movies, familiar with almost no one involved
4.5 of 10
The
title is the first clue that something’s wrong with this film. I mean, really, is there any aspect of
Dracula’s origin that hasn’t been told?
I’m no expert, but a childhood spent watching The History Channel taught
me about Vlad the Impaler, Elizabeth Bathory, and few other historical blood
users that may have influenced Bram Stoker’s vision. Dracula
Untold uses Vlad, the most commonly sited of these influences, as a jumping
off point, and even though it’s not particularly original, it does manage to
cobble together enough decent elements to almost make it enjoyable.
This
movie’s Vlad (Luke Evans) starts off as the established ruler of Transylvania, a
man who’s content to quietly raise his son and his people under the thumb of
the Turks. When the Turks show up
demanding 1,000 boys for their army, Vlad decides it’s time to cut ties and is
forced to draw from his dark past and from an even darker power in the mountains
to save his people.
Dracula
is in the title, so I don’t think it’s any secret that Vlad seeks out a vampire
in those mountains. Played with gusto by
Charles Dance (you know, Tywin Lannister), the scene between the ancient
vampire and Vlad is everything you want in a vampire film: darkness, blood, some body horror, and a
good-looking guy to stare at. The scene
gets a lot done, too, and its success reminds you why execs at Universal look
at the Dracula property and see a hit film.
The good-looking guy in the aforementioned
scene is Evans (trust me, you don’t want Dance), and his performance
singlehandedly makes this film better than it should be. He manages to root the underdrawn,
overstretched Vlad in some sort of reality, and I found myself really caring
for the poor guy. He’s equally good in
the action scenes, drawing out a menacing side that effectively portrays the
monster he’s trying to be.
Helping
out Evans is an excellent effort by the costume, makeup, set design, and
special effects crews. The film looks
great, and that’s directly due to the efforts of everyone involved in these and
other departments. The world they’ve
created is ornately detailed, and the big and small set pieces feel
appropriately scaled. What’s most
impressive, though, is the special effects, particularly the bat
transformations that are featured in the trailer and the poster. It’s a seamless stream of motion, with Evans
slowly disintegrating and bats forming from the void. I have no clue how much money was spent on
this effect, but it was worth every penny.
The
problems come anytime this film tries to tell an actual story. It seems the filmmakers didn’t think we’d be
interested in a simple vampire story, so they jazzed it up with as many
subplots as possible. There’s not enough
time to explore each one, so instead they skim the surface of each, leaving me
wondering which I should be most concerned about and not particularly caring
about any of them. The biggest failure
is the subplot involving Vlad’s family, which falters under the lack of
relationship development and the poor performances by Sarah Gadon and Art
Parkinson (more Game of Thrones people).
Otherwise,
some overly flashy cinematography and generally wooden performances keeps the
whole thing a bit off-putting. I can’t
say I was ever bored, the film does keep things moving, but outside of a mild
interest in Vlad himself, I didn’t care much about what was happening. Reminiscent of my feelings towards 2012’s Snow White and the Huntsman, Dracula Untold is an empty, frustrating
waste of some excellent elements.
Other Notes:
Ø The
lack of blood allowed in a PG-13 movie and a vampire story doesn’t mix well.
Ø Samantha
Barks is listed as a star, but her role was cut in editing. I guess she can still pretend that he’s
beside her.
Ø That
guy’s money was literally protecting him.
Ø You
know you’re having issues when the blood starts whispering to you.
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