This story follows Vlad, the prince of Transylvania, as he struggles to save his people and family from war. This is one of the better versions of Dracula’s origin, in my opinion. When I saw the trailer for this movie, I didn’t expect much but I was pleasantly surprised. This rendition filled me with varying emotions including intrigue and, above all, surprise.
Luke Evans played the role of Dracula well. He portrays the pain of a man struggling with a life threatening decision believably. The overall acting was great and it evoked emotions within the audience that paralleled the character’s feelings in a particular scene. When Luke Evans acted beside Sara Gadon, even her acting became acceptable. However, when acting alone Gadon was very stiff when delivering her lines.
The special effects were done extremely well. There was a scene in the trailer where he turns into a thousand bats to attack the troops of an invading enemy. Seeing this scene in the context of the movie not only looked great but it fit in with the movie’s surroundings. It did not appear like the characters were standing in front of a green screen. This fantasy had some graphic scenes that may not be appropriate for young children or the squeamish but it didn’t overpower the story.
The writing is sub-par with lines that are stereotypical for the genre and plot holes that were never answered. The dialogue was reminiscent of what you would expect from a 1930’s sci-fi horror film. There were impassioned statements of love from characters that lacked the grace that one would expect from that particular era. The overall story was decent. It provided a new and intriguing origin for Dracula that added an extra sense of reality. However, there were obvious plot holes that were missing due to a lack of rules concerning the vampires’ abilities.
Overall, this movie was acceptable but I do not believe I would watch it again.
