Dracula Untold Review: A Classic Monster Becomes A Modern Superhero

One of the most frequently rebooted characters in the history of cinema comes the story of the famous vampire Count himself, Dracula. There have been several incarnations of the legendary vampire over the years that have been approached with different artistic sensibilities all down to the look and feel of the character. And although I've been a huge fan of the Bela Lugosi's suave and charming embodiment of the figure, Luke Evans and the writers behind the new film has done an amazing job of showing us another angle that we've rarely seen. 

By digging deep into the Vlad the Impaler story, we get an engaging and quite interesting look on a legendary and powerful prince trying his hardest to keep peace with his people and the Turks. When things take a turn for the worst as the Sultan demands Vlad to give up his very own son and the children of his kingdom, this is when the more anticipated supernatural direction of the story kicks in. This is a pretty interesting one for me considering where my expectations and personal intrigue was going in and what ended up actually being the high point of the movie. I was actually expecting the Prince Vlad component to be the weakest part of the film with uninteresting storytelling focus while the more fantastical-horror superhero elements would be the bright spots of entertainment. As it turns out, I had an opposite reaction. 

What makes Vlad the Impaler character so interesting is the idea of him being this utter monstrosity of a human being even before the vampire component plays into the story. So for the film to present this dark and detestable side of the character (scenes of him impaling his enemies on spears solidifying his name) only to later showcase a more peace loving leader who cares for his people is a pretty interesting dynamic. This isn't just a terribly visceral, blood thirsty man out for violence but instead a guy who simply knows no other means to protect an entire nation under his watchful eye. I found myself intrigued by what was being shown surrounding Vlad without a single scene of vampire imagery being injected which made me really admire how much thought was put into his development as a human being first and foremost.

That being said, leaning more on the supernatural element of the story, I will say that I did enjoy the moment where he discovers a vampire living deep within the mountains and eventually makes a deal with him to save his people. There's that famous "making a deal with the devil" concept that I've always found fascinating when the character in question leans more on the heroic side of the spectrum. We have the conflicted protagonist enacting justice against the forces of evil by any means necessary even if it literally involves giving themselves to the most purest of evil powers within. That humanity challenging conquest to fend off against the wicked can make for a fascinating character arc which Dracula Untold does a solid job at attempting.

They've managed to find a way to keep this legendary villain fresh in the modern era of comic book films dominating the theaters as the headlining blockbusters. And a large part of what makes this a successful retelling is Luke Evans who plays the part exceptionally well giving us the emotional human element of Vlad slowly descending into the dark prince. The side characters are also decent and the performances are serviceable enough, but it should be noted that this is strictly focused on Vlad's narrative arc with everyone appropriately playing supportive to his story. I do however want to shine a light on Dominic Cooper who I enjoyed seeing as the main villain, Mehmed, that challenges Vlad. His performance may not have been as noteworthy, but his presence as an antagonist was certainly entertaining enough to enjoy.

My only big issues with the film surprisingly aims towards the more spectacle heavy scenes where I felt the filmmakers were really excited to showcase what their version of Dracula can do. Moments where we see his supernatural abilities such as heightened senses and super strength were engaging and well directed, but it's the more over the top powers such as his ability to control a fleet of bats that slightly took me out of the experience a little. That frequently used shot in the trailers where Vlad forms a giant fist-like construct in the form of thousands of bats felt completely out of place and should've been replaced with something a bit more subdued and tonally fitting. Though I do find the "bat-powers" mythological aspect intriguing, the execution simply didn't work for me.

Another thing that didn't quite work for me was in the movie's ending which left me feeling less engaged with everything than I should've been. I loved the twist in the conclusion of bringing Dracula into our modern day setting thereby solidifying one of his most iconic traits being immortality. However, the final line of the movie being "Let the games begin" by Charles Dance's vampire who gave Vlad his powers felt a little out of place in my opinion. This is another situation, much like the bat power scenes where I enjoy the concept and implications involved, but the actual execution felt a little flimsy in presentation. 

Funny enough, I actually reacted to that scene asking out loud "Let what games begin? Wait, did I miss something?" as I was more confused than anything. My remedy to this ending would've been to show Vlad leaving with what we can assume to be the reincarnation of his wife and the audience simply just having a quick glimpse of the other vampire sitting down watching them from a distance. It would've made for a more impactful and curiosity triggering scene from the mystery angle of the situation. This is a prime example of doing more with less that I feel the writers should've opted for. Still, I am genuinely curious as to what this film is supposed to set the stage for. 

Overall, Dracula Untold is a pretty solid movie with a surprisingly refreshing take on the iconic character considering the fact that we've seen him done to death (no pun intended) through various adaptations. There are quite a few beautifully crafted scenes of atmospheric settings within the explored time period as well as some entertaining action scenes (even the ones that I felt could've been cut out). Because of its creative take on the titular character in addition to everything else that I've possibly highlighted, I would easily recommend this movie to fans of both the vampire and superhero genre of cinema seeing this as a fun origin story. If this is indeed rumored to be the beginning of the Universal Monsters cinematic universe relaunch, then I am more than intrigued to see how the rest of this franchise plays outs. 

Rating: 8/10