'Dracula Untold' is released in US cinemas next week but have critics already driven a stake through the latest take on the Vampire legend?
With a 17% top critic rating on Rotten Tomatoes, it's safe to say reviews have drained whatever life was left in Dracula Untold. Yet audiences still seem to be enjoying the film which attempts to show a more heroic side to the much maligned monster.
Luke Evans in Dracula Untold.
Dracula Untold stars Luke Evans (The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug) as Prince Vlad, known by the Turkish army in which he once marched as Vlad the Impaler. When the Turkish sultan Mehmed II orders Vlad and his country to supply a thousand boys, including Vlad's own son, the prince is forced to take drastic measures and asks the help of a monstrous creature living high in the mountains.
Alongside Evans, Dracula Untold stars Charles Dance (Game of Thrones) as the original vampire (the aforementioned monstrous creature), Dominic Cooper (Need For Speed) as Turkish sultan Mehmed II, and Sarah Gadon (A Dangerous Method) as Mirena, Vlad's wife.
Unfortunately for the creators of Dracula Untold, critics have largely panned the film and they've all predominately focussed on the visual effects and the take on traditional vampire lore. So here's a quick rundown on what they have to say:
Visual Effects
The visual effects appear to be both the one saving grace of film and its major downfall at the same time. From a positive angle, Michael O'Sullivan (Washington Post) writes Dracula Untold "occasionally boasts gorgeous visuals". But he continues by stating the film alludes to numerous other forms of media including comic books and other films, such as 300, based on graphic novels.
O'Sullivan further claims there are times when the film does display elements we've seen in other such fantasy films and television series as Game of Thrones and Twilight. Another critic, Mike LaSalle (San Francisco Chronicle), also picked up on this aspect of the film. He wrote: "Here we have a vampire movie that brings together elements from other more popular movies."
Watch The Movie Trailer For Dracula Untold:
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