Dracula Untold (2014)

Dracula Untold (2014) An American-British-Irish fantasy film directed by Gary Shore. To put it in context: Dark Universe was an American film franchise project produced by Universal Pictures that was to feature characters from the studio’s popular Universal Monsters horror film series.

Presented as a cinematic universe similar to that of Marvel, the characters were each to benefit from a single film, but could have appeared in other films in the series or even been all grouped together. The franchise was due to be launched in 2014 with Dracula Untold, but producer Alex Kurtzman decided not to include it, despite good box-office results. The franchise was finally launched in 2017 with Alex Kurtzman’s The Mummy, but as a result of the film’s critical and commercial failure, the franchise was shelved for a change of strategy before being permanently canceled by the studio in early 2019. That’s it!

Indeed, it’s sad and a shame. As far as Luke Evans is concerned, he’s played in quite a few films that don’t interest me, like ‘Fast & Furious 8’, but also ‘Blitz’ and ‘Immortals’. I didn’t really like ‘The Girl on the Train’, even though I gave it two chances. Basically, I’m not a fan of Luke, but I thought he was fabulous in this film. I didn’t like Holidays (2016) by this director and I haven’t seen his other films, which always revolve around horror, apparently.

A sympathetic Dracula? Really?? Yes!!! I think the idea of making a superhero Dracula is pretty cool & nice! It’s not the original, but that’s OK. In any case, it’s a thousand times better than those teenage vampire movies. It’s not a horror film either, but it deserves more than a passing grade. Yes, I know Dracula is supposed to be the monstrous vampire who comes to ‘suck’ the blood of young women in the dark of night… but I can guarantee you that the idea of making Bram Stoker’s monster into one half of a heroic monster is a recipe for success. The beginning of the film is magnificent. All the scenes with Charles Dance (the original vampire) are dazzling and perfectly acted by him.

Luke Evans may have something melodramatic about him that doesn’t necessarily suit the role, according to some reviews I’ve read, although I liked him. Something bothers me about this film, but I don’t know (yet) exactly what. The ending is questionable and didn’t necessarily convince me. It’s not a happy ending, that’s for sure. We knew it was going to be grim given that it’s only the beginning of The Prince of Darkness. But, in the end, I found the film good. Really not bad at all… but there was even more potential.

The film is probably too short compared to the whole Dracula story. You could say ‘Good material… abused!’ Not a vampire film in the literal sense, but one that tells us how the most famous of them all became one. Don’t worry, there are a few vampires other than Dracula! It’s very interesting to explain who this Dracula is and to take a look at the character before his transformation. Long-time fans of video games will even think of Castlevania at times. The special effects are grandiose, and the actors are very decent, including Sarah Gadon and Dominic Cooper. The film’s pace and direction are meticulous. There’s never a dull moment. Alas, the planned sequel never saw the light of day, it seems to me.