Dracula Untold

Starring: Luke Evans, Dominic Cooper, Sarah Gadon, Charles Dance, Art Parkinson, Paul Kaye
Directed by: Gary Shore
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Action, Drama, Horror
2014

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: To save his people from an invading army, Prince Vlad (Luke Evans) reluctantly accepts the powers of a dark supernatural creature. He gains the power to defend his people, but risks losing his humanity in the bargain.

Review:

Tim: I like the premise behind Universal's attempt to reboot their Monster movie line. Dracula is a character we've seen countless times on the big screen, but to my knowledge, there hasn't really been an origin story of the famous Count. While I liked the title Dracula Year Zero better, Dracula Untold does at least reveal how Vlad became Dracula. That's probably the highlight of the film- seeing that story unfold on the big screen. The issue we struggle with is that the movie isn't very good. The film had potential, but in the hands of first time director Gary Shore, the movie plays out in a forgettable and unremarkable manner. That's a shame.

I totally understand the need for Hollywood studios to try unproven, young filmmakers with big projects. You can't always get the best filmmakers in the business, and in recent years, a huge number of young directors have emerged with real vision and capability. Rian Johnson and Gareth Edwards are two examples. However, this film was important to the studio- it was supposed to kick off a return to monster movies, albeit with the updates you'd expect from films in 2014. So why they would turn to Gary Shore- a commercials director with almost no experience- seems an odd choice (his iMDB page is nearly empty). Does Shore have talent? Maybe. Could he be a great director someday? Possibly. This film wasn't the right one to start his career. I'm sure he gained great experience, but the film suffers as a result.

There isn't a single remarkable thing about this film. Besides some enjoyment derived from seeing Dracula's origin story, we're just fed the same lackluster elements that make up so many of these movies. There is some attempt at character development, but honestly not that much. I never cared about any of the characters or their plight on screen. We needed more time spent with Vlad before he became a monster. I liked how the film portrayed him as somewhat of a good person (although the impaling thing certainly hints at a very dark subterranean layer in his psyche). However, I never cared about him, partially because we're all so familiar with Dracula the villain. It can be very hard for audiences to identify with a character we've been taught to fear and dislike our entire lives. It can be done, but you need a hell of a good writer and a great director to pull it off. That doesn't happen here. I was interested to see Vlad's descent and evolution into Dracula, but I didn't care much about anyone on screen. Even putting an innocent child in harm's way didn't do much to make me care. We needed to feel more for the characters.

Luke Evans was a good choice for the lead role. He has the ability to play both good guys and bad guys effectively. He has a strong, noble aspect to his demeanor, but he also has this dangerous, dark streak to him as well. Those two sides to him played perfectly into this role. I don't fault Evans' performance, it's really the script and the director he had around him. I like Dominic Cooper and thought he was well cast as the film's antagonist. He really doesn't have a whole lot to do, though. The script treats him almost as an afterthought. I have no idea who Sarah Gadon is and she added very little to the film. Charles Dance was a fun addition, although he only gets a few moments to shine. As a whole, the cast was fine, but everyone was hampered by the film's limitations.

Now, while I am being hard on Dracula Untold, I don't want you to think it is a disaster. It's a perfectly ordinary film. It is mildly entertaining. It's only 92 minutes long, so you never really feel overly bored. It's just that you don't feel engaged or excited about anything on screen. Universal had a chance to do something incredible here- to give us a Dracula film that got us talking. Especially when they are considering their own Monsters Cinematic Universe, this movie needed to be so much better. The idea is interesting (obviously a direct ripoff of Marvel, but there's potential for Universal here). Unfortunately, if this film speaks to the quality of their cinematic universe, I'd much rather they stop before they start.

If you like these kinds of movies, go for it. Dracula Untold does reveal the origins of one of Hollywood's greatest villains. There's some real appeal in that. Unfortunately, the promise of the film is never realized. This movie is too forgettable, and that's a shame.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Dracula 2000