Dracula Untold Review: Dark, Entertaining and Stylish

This origin story of Dracula delivers action, adventure and suspense, with some impressive use of CGI.

Director:  Gary Shore

Starring: Luke Evans, Sarah Gadon, Dominic Cooper, Charles Dance, Art Parkinson

Running Time: 92 mins

Certificate: PG-13

What is the plot? 

When a powerful sultan drafts a thousand young men into his army, including Vlad’s son, the father seeks help from an ancient demon in order to keep his family safe. Vlad is given superhuman strength and agility, but his new gifts come at the highest price: his humanity.

Review: 

Almost an entire century after the world’s cinematic introduction to Dracula placed audiences under his haunting spell, Gary Shore has reawakened one of legend’s most captivating figures in Dracula Untold – an action-adventure that heralds a pulse-pounding rebirth of the age of monsters.  

Directing his first feature film , Shore’s take on Dracula tells the story of the all-powerful creature of the night – the untold story. 

We’re taken back to 1462 in Transylvania where Luke Evans‘ Vlad III, Prince of Wallachia is a mortal man who lives peacefully alongside his wife, Mirena (Sarah Gadon). Together, they have brokered peace for their country and ensured its people are well-protected, which doesn’t last long thanks to the powerful Ottoman Empire, who have their sights set on global domination.

Sultan Mehmed II (Dominic Cooper) demands 1,000 boys including Vlad’s own son, Ingeras (Art Parkinson) to become child soldiers in his army. Vlad must decide: do the same as his father before him and give up his son to the sultan, or seek the help of a monster to defeat the Turks, but ultimately doom his soul to a life of servitude. Tough decisions ahead, but you can guess what he is going to do…

After a visit to Broken Tooth Mountain, Vlad seeks the help of a frighteningly convincing foul demon in the form of Charles Dance and enters into a Faustian bargain—one that gives the prince the strength of 100 men and the speed of a falling star.  

After an encounter with the monster’s large, silver tongue and drinking his blood, Vlad (rather predictably) seals his fate, but must resist his infliction of an insatiable thirst to drink human blood for three days so that he can return to his normal self again or dwell in the darkness for the rest of his days. Given how famous the Dracula legend is, you already predict what is going to happen.

In his first feature-film directorial debut, Gary Shore has taken on Burk Sharpless and Matt Sazama‘s screenplay – a brave choice given that Dracula is one of the most enduring literary and popular characters of our time, who has been reverently explored in animation, literature and of course film on a multitude of occasions. It is a brave choice, but a clever one, as the vampire has conjured intrigue that has spawned a cultural phenomenon for over 12o years and will no doubt pull in the audience once again.

However, if Dracula fans are hoping for bloodshed and neck-biting scenes galore, they will be disappointed, there is no horror here, but more heroism. This film focuses on the untold story (hence the title) in the chapter of the life of the archetypal Vlad Tepes – the man before the monster. 

The relationship between the family is what is at the foreground of the film and drives the story throughout.  The intricacies of his history are mentioned and delivered in an obvious way to the audience, to understand both the lead characters past and what shapes him in the future in a rather compassionate take. Shore’s vision will have you rooting for the bad guy, the anti-hero who is forced to live a doomed life for the sake of others and sets this film up for an action-adventure genre rather than a horror. 

Visually the film is effective. The use of CGI enhances the battles scenes and particularly the moments when the fangs come out and Vlad Tepes becomes a monster with his bat cape flying alongside his body transformations, which are smoothly executed.

There are a few comical one-liners from Luke Evans in there, as he explores his newly gained super powers, setting him up to be viewed as more of a superhero than a monster, a Batman who is trying to save his Gotham and knowing that this was never meant to be a blood-sucking horror film, this route works well.

Evans is a convincing, brooding anti-hero whose inner torment from his chosen destiny are brilliantly conveyed on the screen. He delivers the multi-layered complexities with believable ease, from playing a debonair prince, a strong warrior to a desperate monster. (We don’t think he will be short on leading role offers in the future.) The touching scenes between father and son ground the character into the real world and generates empathy for Tepes, who is willing to make the ultimate sacrifice.

Evans’ performance is well supported by Sarah Gadon who plays his on-screen wife, the moralistic compass that tries to guide him from their dangerous adversary in the form of Dominic Cooper, who plays the sultan, sporting a thick accent and rather heavy makeup.

Charles Dance is frighteningly brilliant at being the scary Master Vampire, the game-maker of the film who is annexed from the world and set to torment Vlad. (Props to the makeup department for his physical transformation.) Poetically delivering his lines with an air of menace and anarchy, he becomes the narcissistic, egotistical monster that steals the scenes.

Overall, the film drums up a multitude of elements ranging from action, adventure, love, tragedy and blends them together well. It is mostly delivered in the stylish gloom reminiscent of Game of Thrones and for some, it may not be as blood-sucking heavy as they hope, but it was never pitched to be that way. 

Verdict:

Dark, entertaining and stylish, Dracula Untold may not have the fangirls squealing in a Pattinson-esque way or have neck-biting parties to suit gothic horror fans, but it does exactly what it says on the tin. A brave first feature-film directorial debut from Gary Shore, which makes you cheer on the anti-hero.

Reviewed by Lisa-Marie Burrows

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