Movie Reviews from the Sideline: Dracula Untold (2014)

When you make a movie about vampires, there are basically two paths that you can go. The first is the dark fantasy path, where you are going to focus on the world of blood-suckers, their exclusion from normal society, and, of course, their excellent night-life . The second is the horror route, where vampires are the embodiment of gory, chaotic evil: fear of the dark in human form.

If you judge Dracula Untold (2014) as a horror flick, as some other reviewers have done, then, of course, it falls flat on its face. Don't go and see this movie if you are looking for a few cheap scares and lots of fake blood. Instead, it manages to be something slightly more: a dark fantasy work of art that marries the historical character of Vlad the Impaler, defeater of the Turks and Machiavellian mastermind, with the fictional creation of Bram Stoker.

The movie starts out by explaining that Vlad (Luke Evans--the thinking man's Orlando Bloom) was drafted as a child soldier by the conquering Turks. As a warrior, Vlad is ruthless, earning himself the name "Impaler" by his masters. He returns to rule his country, still paying tribute to the sultan, until the unthinkable happens: they demand that he put his son (Art Parkinson) through the same trauma that he underwent. Unwilling to pay this price, Vlad discovers a way that he can gain the power to protect his country, becoming a monster that will terrify and destroy the advancing Turkish hordes.

In weaving this origins story, director Gary Shore seems determined to make it clear that he is taking the fantasy, rather than the horror, path. He is also drawing a contrast with other fantasy costume productions (cough, cough, Game of Thrones) which try to humanize their characters by having them belch, screw, and defecate as often as possible. What is at work in Dracula Untold, however, is the tension that exists between dark and light, ends  and means, sacrifice and survival. Its focus on moral themes and plot-over-character seems to have more in common with Tolkien's Middle Earth than with the Stoker's Transylvania.

It seems like the movie takes other cues from Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy, as well. The costumes, swords, and props on this movie are exquisite, going rather above most medieval costume dramas. The visual effects fit seamlessly with the world of the film and entertain more than impress. What is even more shocking is that the script lives up to the film's beautiful aesthetic, rather than detracting from it (cough, cough The Hobbit).

The film occasionally feels like it skips a few steps between plot points, which makes this reviewer wonder if a longer film was in the works at some stage.  For moviegoers who can't reach logical conclusions, this might pose a problem. For myself, I thought that risking a longer running time might have paid dividends in critical acceptance, but wouldn't have added much in the way of entertainment value.

In fact, the weakest point in this movie is its gimmicky conclusion, which I refuse to give away. The thing is, though, that the movie is such a good time, and the actors involved are so excellent, that audiences will probably forgive the filmmakers for obsessively trying to turn this movie into an origins story.

My rating: B++ (and I'm pretty stingy with A's)--Go see it.