Skip to main content

Movie Review: Dracula Untold


Why I was dreading the movie and at the same time looking forward to it

For many years, Christoper Lee has been my one and only Dracula. I never was attracted to any of the new vampire movies. When I heard that Luke Evans would be Dracula in an origin story of Dracula, I was on one hand very hopeful, and on the other hand I was worried it would destroy my image of Luke Evans as a good actor. He had come into my spotlight with his portrayal as Bard the Bowman in "The Hobbit - Desolation of Smaug". I had not expected to be so impressed by Bard. Luke Evans portrayed Bard in a way that turned him into one of my favourite characters. During one scene, with one look that put so much raw emotion into it, he gave me hope that there are indeed still good young actors out there. 
But when I heard he would be Dracula, my thoughts were: "Oh, oh. Wow. That will either make him or break him." When I went to the movies today (in Aberdeen, Scotland), I was very excited. And here is my personal impression (no spoilers apart from the info you get in trailers and reviews anyway).


Dracula Untold - A story worth telling


What it is about

The movie tells the story of how Vlad Dracul, the son of dragons, turns into Dracula, the son of the devil. We learn how young Vlad was raised as a fighter without mercy by the Turks (his father had handed him and many other young boys over to the Turks to keep the peace). He turned into one of the most ruthless and talented warriors. But when he returned home, he wanted to leave this dark past behind him. It seemed that he managed to do so: after the interesting beginning of the movie, we see Vlad return to his wife and very charismatic young son. 
Unfortunately, after years of peace, the Turks return and the Sultan requests a thousand boys plus Vlad's son in addition to the usual tribute. And this is where Vlad's dilemma begins. When he married his wife, he promised her that something like what happened to him in the past would never happen to their son. But if he would not give in, the Turks would take a hundred life for every boy they do not get. Vlad sees one option: He has discovered something living in a mountain, something powerful that can give him the power he needs to save his people. That power, however, comes at a high price and with a risk: Vlad drinks the blood of the vampire, he has three days during which he needs to resist the lust for blood. In those three days, he will have the full power of a vampire, and if he does not drink any blood, he will return to his normal human form after three days. But will three days be enough?

What it was like

I was incredibly impressed by the movie and Luke Evans' acting skills. He showed once more that he is fantastic when it comes to portraying very raw emotions without appearing phony or fake. You simply believe that he knows that pain. He can smile believably, so you have to smile with him, he can suffer believably, so you suffer with him, he can be angry believably, so you are angry with him - you get the picture. 
Luke Evans' acting skills set aside: I found the story of the movie very intriguing. It was a believable background story for how Vlad the Impaler could turn into a creature like Dracula. And the end of the movie (gosh, it was heart-wrenching - but I won't give it away here): I just thought "Oh no, it can't end that way, that would not be right." Fortunately, there were a few more minutes which made me sigh in relief. There is potential for two more movies: one which would be a story about the things Dracula did before Jonathan Harker came into his life, and then one more movie which would be a re-tell of the original Dracula story, and which would then of course be the end of it. It would make a good trilogy.
There was action, fantasy, a tiny little bit of romance (fortunately not overdone, and it fitted the story very well), and a bit of horror. The viewers are treated to views of impressive landscapes and you even get to see Luke Evans without a shirt - and that's not a bad sight!
What I liked best about the movie was definitely how Luke Evans portrayed the man who became Dracula, and this quote: "Sometimes, the world no longer needs a hero, it needs a monster."

What I would have liked

When I watched the movie, I wished they would have done it in 3D. It would have been mind-blowing. Luke Evans definitely has an incredible presence on the screen, who knows maybe 3D would have been a bit too overwhelming. We'll leave that to the next Hobbit movie!


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Kenny Wizz vs Navi vs Ben - Can there be only one #1 Michael Jackson tribute artist?

Last night, I have been to a place called Stevenage to watch a Michael Jackson tribute artist called Ben . He was one of only two UK tribute artists I found interesting and promising enough to spend money on a ticket, transport, and accommodation (it's too difficult to travel back home with public transport at night). Now that I have seen three different Michael Jackson tribute artists in person, I would like to write about what they have in common, what made each of them stand out, and then answer the question: Is there really a number one? Did one of the two UK tributes manage to do something Kenny did not do? If you have read my old writings about Kenny, you know that he's very special (at least to me). I will have a look at their looks, their energy during the performance, the song selection, the costumes, the singing (or lack of it), the moves, the band & the dancers, the overall feel of the concert, and the meet & greet after the shows. In
3 comments
Read more

Seeking and finding motivation - It needs to come from within

I have known for a long time that motivation is something that needs to come from within yourself. At least genuine motivation needs to come from within your own soul - it is the only kind of motivation that will last. Even though I have known this, I found (and still find) it very hard to keep myself motivated, to keep the spark within alive, to not let the world and the people in it kill my dreams. As a writer, I also read a lot. Most books are dedicated to other people, or have some sort of acknowledgment page where authors thank people who support them, people who keep them going, people who motivate them, and so on. For a very long time, I have wished I would have people I could use for these pages. I was wondering whom I would dedicate my books to, whom I would thank. But I could only ever think of fictional and/or famous characters. In real life, there is nobody who supports me with my writing and shows a genuine interest in my ideas or progress (of which there isn't that
1 comment
Read more

Why work harder when there's no reward at all?

I am rather demotivated at the moment. Why work harder than other people if other people in the end get more for less work? Two volunteers who work a lot less than I do (also as a volunteer) get taken to see a castle this weekend, while I have to work. One of those two is being taken to the second castle. He's been taken on a day trip before. While I have been here since November and haven't been taken anywhere once. Usually, volunteers work five hours a day. But because I am really committed to the animals, I usually work six hours, often seven or eight (as a volunteer, so it's not like I get any money for extra hours). So I work more, but get less in return. How is that fair? It's just my life. I often put in so much effort into things, but get nothing in return. I feel like giving up. Why be reliable and hard working if it's just taken for granted? Why put in more effort when people who slack get all the rewards and extra attention?
1 comment
Read more