Review of Dracula Untold (2014) by Sean P — 14 Jun 2015

Is Dracula Untold a good film? Is it sharp, intense, exciting? Does it celebrate the story of Dracula and Vlad the Impaler? Can YOU watch it without getting tired, sleepy or bored? Apart from the last, its a resounding no for all these questions.

I like Luke Evans. I like Charles Dance. I like Dominic Cooper. I do not like any of their performances. Evans is stiff, wooden and fails to rise above the cliche dialogue. Dance is more expressive, somewhat shakespearian, but his performance is distractingly jarring from the tone. Dominic Cooper is typecast.

This film doesn't break new ground. The special effects are good, but not excellent, although the setting is quite well constructed. Its hard to see what went wrong here. The film is neither too bad to hate nor good enough to recommend. Its a crying shame.

Dracula Untold should be retitled to what the audience experiences during viewing: Macular Enfold[ing].