Luke Evans is a very interesting actor, having now become part of the Hobbit series and as the villain of the 6th Fast and Furious movie, he's set to take on the role of The Crow in the upcoming reimagining. While here he plays a reimagined version of the classic monster, Dracula.
Based on some minor truths and the original classic, as well as taking a few ideas from Francis Ford Coppola's 90s horror masterpiece "Bram Stoker's Dracula" where Dracula falls in love with Mina Harker as she resembles his once lost love. Dracula Untold lets us in to how Dracula came into being. It tells the story of a young Vlad who was taken by the Turks in good faith to be trained into a monster, because men do not fear men, they fear what they don't understand. Vlad eventually leaves his past behind in search of redemption but once again his past comes back to haunt him as now he is in his father's shoes, will he give up his son in order to hold peace with the Turks.
Gary Shore, the director, does a fantastic job at directing this. It reminded me so of the classic monster movies, it really did. The action scenes are the only thing that are the most updated, with Dracula using a swarm of bats to obliterate his enemies. That was freaking awesome. I would of liked to have seen him take other forms, such as a wolf or fog (as he does so in the original text) The cinematography is also very vast and gives off a very epic feel to this overall horror tale. The visuals are solid and not overdone and the vampire transformations are way cooler than the stuff of Twilight.
Luke Evans is beyond fabulous in the role of Vlad. He delves into his character's sorrows and dark past and gives off a great heroic intensity. His chemistry with new comer Sarah Gadon is terrific as the two really give off the romantic vibe. Sarah is perfectly cast as his wife, Mirena. She is both elegant and strong willed, she does not flee when she learns the truth. Her british accent isn't bad but it could of been a bit better in parts. Art Parkinson (Game of Thrones) plays their son, Ingeras. He is not a stupid whiny child, in fact he is first to stand up and make his dad proud by sacrificing himself for the betterment of his family. Being his first major film role, Art is really amazing here. He has a strong emotional range and is very likeable.
There are actually two villains in this, and they work really well with the development of the character. First we meet the Master Vampire, played by Charles Dance (Also from Game of Thrones). He is a vicious as he was on Game of Thrones, he plays the vampire who gives Vlad the power to become unstoppable. He's menacing and mysterious. Would he have been a better Dracula, no. I really love Luke as Dracula, if Charles played the role it would seem weird. I find he's just not the right actor for that part. But as the unknown vampire who gives Vlad his abilities, he makes for a more interesting villain as we know only that he has some sort of hidden agenda.
Dominic Copper plays Mehmed. He's plays the part of the human villain. Once a child friend from Vlad's past who trained along side him when they fought together for the Turks. He now rains hellfire down on Vlad's country by telling him what his predecessor told his father, 100,000 boys for his army, including his son. Dominic is great in the role, he does not go over the top and creates a deep utmost jealousy and hatred toward Vlad. Vlad essentially left Mehmed for his country. That I believe is the main drive behind his villain's tyranny. The fight the two of them have at the end is a little less so. Its a great and unique fight but a little cliche as Mehmed basically comes at Vlad like he is a monster, and not a friend he once knew. Look, the whole friendship thing is something I felt was part of the story, its not something that they outright talk about. Dominic plays a way more interesting part in this than he did in Vampire Hunter, his work here is stronger.
Dracula: Untold is a solid mix of horror and action. It has a terrific lead cast with Luke Evans, Sarah Gordon, Dominic Copper and Charles Dance leading the charge. Gary Shore does a very good job with the story, while a little cliche, it is solid. And as one last piece of advice, this is not twilight, this is true vampires at their best, scary. Untold is great, scary entertainment and my second film that I suggest to watch this Halloween.
Rating: A-
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