Released: October 2014
Director: Gary Shore
Run Time: 92 Minutes
Rated PG-13
Cast:
Luke Evans: Vlad
Sarah Gadon: Mirena
Dominic Cooper: Mehmed
Charles Dance: Master Vampire
Vampire movies have been a staple of the horror genre for nearly a century. Nosferatu and Dracula were among the first. Dracula took the world by storm, featuring a great performance by Bela Lugosi as the titular character. Many different actors have played the count over the decades. Obviously, Bela Lugosi was the first, then Christopher Lee, Frank Langella, Gary Oldman, Gerard Butler, and Thomas Kretschmann. The latest actor to play the character is Luke Evans, who played Bard in The Hobbit, and Ian Shaw in Fast and Furious 6. The character of Dracula is a fascinating one, as he is based on the historical figure of Vlad Tepes III, otherwise known as The Impaler. So, why is Dracula such a great character? In part, because of Bram Stoker. He based his story of Dracula on actual figure and turned him into a vampire. It’s not surprising given the stories of Vlad’s brutality. Last year, we got a new Dracula film starring Luke Evans. So, how did turn out?
Dracula Untold opens as Vlad and a small company of his best men discover the helmet of Turkish scout. Coming to the conclusion that the helmet got washed downstream from a nearby mountain, Vlad and company investigate. They come upon a cave that houses a terrifying secret: A vampire. Racing home to his family, he consults a monk about the monster. He feels that his people have enough to fear from the Turks, led by newly crowned sultan, Mehmed. When Mehmed’s messengers show up at Vlad’s doorstep demanding 1,000 boys to be recruited into Mehmed’s army, Vlad slaughters the messengers. In doing so, he saves his only son from being enslaved. But he also brings war to his own country. Fearing that he’s outnumbered, Vlad returns to the cave where he found the demon to gain the power to destroy the Turks.
I was going in with some reserve watching Dracula Untold. Why? The last Dracula film that I saw and reviewed on this site was Dario Argento’s Dracula. That film is quite possibly one of the worst Dracula movies I had ever seen. You can read my review of that film by clicking on the reviews tab at the top of the page. I say some, because when I heard that Luke Evans was going to play the character, I was intrigued. I liked Luke Evans in some of his previous movies. He’s gotten to the top of the heap rather quickly. He has a tendency to play dark brooding characters. He’s good at it, so Dracula seemed like a natural fit. Then I found out that Dracula Untold was going to be rated PG-13. That pretty much scared me off from seeing the film in theaters. Did they not know how terrible PG-13 horror movies are? Not only that, but also a PG-13 vampire movie?! Horror fans don’t need to be reminded of how terrible the Twilight films are. Here’s the thing: Dracula Untold is NOT a horror movie. I know what you’re thinking: A non-horror Dracula movie?! Believe it or not, yes. This is more of an origin story about the character, and as a result, has a kind of superhero-vibe about the whole thing. Yes, the character did monstrous things when he was human, but this new film paints him in a fairly different light. We get to see him as a family man who loves his wife and son and is willing to do whatever it takes to protect them, even if it means becoming a creature of the night.
When I saw I, Frankenstein when it came out, I was severely disappointed in it. It was a total wreck that disrespected the story, the character and was an overall mess. I’m glad to see that Dracula Untold handles its characters much better. If you know your history, then you would know that Vlad was a very brutal man, impaling his enemies on giant spikes. The stories say he did that to thousands of people, even though the actual number might not be that high. But he was also a great leader and well-respected, as well as feared. Dracula Untold definitely touches on certain aspects of the historical period. Be warned, this is a fantasy-action film, so liberties were obviously taken. The action in the film is pretty darn good. We have some pretty decent sword fights, but the meat of the action takes place after Vlad becomes a vampire. When he uses his new abilities, he becomes a force of nature. Basically, the only things that he’s vulnerable to are sunlight and silver. Luke Evans did an amazing job bringing this character to life, particularly when he’s with his wife and son. He gives the character a sense of responsibility and humility that plays to the character’s strengths. The rest of the cast is also good. Dominic Cooper plays Mehmed, the newly crowned sultan who has known Vlad since they were children. Mehmed is a bit of mustache-twirling kind of villain, though. Cooper does a good job, anyway. Sarah Gadon plays Vlad’s wife, Mirena. She’s the one character in the film that keeps Vlad from going over the edge. Even though she knows what he’s become, she has faith that he can fight it. The one character that didn’t get as much attention but is clearly important is the master vampire, played by Charles Dance. We don’t know much about him aside from the fact that he sold his soul to a demon for ultimate power, but was tricked and got trapped in a cave. So, he offers Vlad a way to defeat his enemies. This isn’t the first time Charles Dance played a vampire. He played a vampire lord in Underworld: Awakening with Kate Beckinsale. He’s great at playing villains and mysterious characters.
The visual effects in this film are astounding. The scenery, even though it’s CG, is spectacular. It gives you a sense of grandeur that can only be offered to someone of Vlad’s stature. One of the most spectacular elements of the movie, is Vlad’s ability to control bats. He uses this to full effect on Mehmed’s army, and it is something to behold. The battles are epic and brutal for a PG-13 film. The sword fights are well-choreographed. It’s a dark film, given the subject matter, but it IS a movie about Dracula. It has to be dark. These ARE vampires, I can tell you that. They have fangs, they turn into bats, and they don’t friggin’ sparkle when hit by sunlight. They disintegrate. Luke Evans definitely commands the screen as Vlad. The film isn’t perfect, though. Because the film is so short, it pretty much eschews any development for characters that aren’t Dracula. There’s also the whole bit where he can turn back into a human being after 3 days of resisting his thirst for blood. Uh….okay. That’s odd, and I’m not quite buying it. Outside of that, though, it’s a solid action flick. I really dig the fact that while the filmmakers were clearly influenced by Stoker’s book and the historical figure, they took the character in a different direction. It’s a direction that I think will serve the character in future installments, which I’m sure there will be. Overall, it’s a very solid action flick that’s one of the better Dracula films of the past 20 years. I’d recommend a rental at least, despite its problems. 8.5/10. I like it.