And that's what we got. It's the 13th Century and a young prince, Vlad (Luke Evans), is living peacefully with his family while ruling the Transylvania. One day though, a group of Turkish soldiers comes to his castle to collect the taxes with one awful news, their Sultan (Dominic Cooper) is demanding a thousand boys to create an army. Vlad refuses to do because his son (Art Parkinson) would be one of the boys; he instead goes meet a vampire (Charles Dance) on the mountains to obtain the power to protect his family and kingdom.
The story is original and it's quite interesting to see how it unfolds. But it's got a problem, the depth. It could have done with more of that. It isn't historically accurate, some parts feel rushed, and there probably are more holes in it than in Swiss cheese. Which brings me to the fact that the film is pretty cheesy. Also, it tries to be more of a dramatic story rather than a horror story (which I loved), but there isn't enough drama in it and I simply wasn't emotionally invested. The characters are also to be blamed as they are pretty weak.
However, there are things to enjoy, starting from the acting. In spite of the flawed script, Luke Evans did really a good job portraying the inner struggle of Vlad, who is slowly transitioning from loving father to monster because that's what he has to do to save his people. A fine performance also comes from Charles Dance who plays the Master Vampire, easily the most interesting characters which was not exploited as he should have.
At last, the visuals effects are pretty good too. They are dark and atmospheric and fits the story. Still, I enjoyed more the action. It is stylish and very entertaining, and it's not as violent as it could have been.
Ultimately, Dracula Untold isn't as good as I was hoping, but it isn't a complete waste of time either.
This one just didn't work for me. Too slick, too shallow, too much explanation, and Dracula was too nice a guy. I don't need my Dracula to be the hero.
ReplyDeleteDracula being a good guy was a nice twist for me, but it could have been executed so much better.
DeleteI had no desire to see this film because I can't think of Count Dracul as a hero. I know the history and Count Dracul was not the nicest of men and his son, Count Dracula became better known as Vlad the Impaler. If you read up on this historical figure you will see that this person was a true psychopath
ReplyDeleteI just can't with Universal trying to do that Monster universe with not just one dud but two failing to start it
ReplyDeleteNice review! I loved this one purely for Luke Evans. He's so nice to look at. lol The supporting cast wasn't too bad either. But I agree - the story just didn't fly as well or as deep as it could've.
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