Smashbomb

Search

Search results

All (936)

Content

Madeira Walks: Volume 2: Challenging Trails & High Altitude Routes

David Brawn, Shirley Whitehead, Mike Whitehead and Ros Brawn

(0 Ratings) Rate It

Book

As a walker's paradise, Madeira has it all - majestic mountains, rugged coastline, ancient forests,...

Pluviometer - Rain gauge

Weather and Utilities

(0 Ratings) Rate It

App

The pluviometer is an instrument used to measure the amount of rain fall in a day. It is part of...

PocketSword

Reference and Book

(0 Ratings) Rate It

App

PocketSword is a Bible Study app for the iPad, iPhone & iPod touch (iOS 8.0 and above) that is built...

Dinosaur Discoveries: A Prehistoric Adventure

Chris Levine

(0 Ratings) Rate It

Book

Embark on an extraordinary adventure with "Dinosaur Discoveries," an enchanting children's book by...

Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Dracula Untold (2014) in Movies

Aug 6, 2019

Dracula Untold (2014)

2014 | Action, Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi

7.0

(26 Ratings)

Movie Rating

The latest Dracula movie attempts to honor an ancient story while adding some new spice and bringing the usual graphics flair we’ve come to expect from Hollywood, but falls short.

Dracula Untold, as the name implies, is an origin story for the pop culture father-of-all-vampires. Luke Evans bears the mantle of Prince Vlad Tepes of the Dracula Clan. (Not Count, but Prince.) What about the King, you ask? Well, they didn’t cover this, but there is no King.

Luke Evans is one of my favorite actors in Hollywood right now, and he does this role justice. The rest of the cast contributed solid performances as well, as best they could with sub par script, and poor direction. Charles Dance was a particular pleasure to witness.

This film is Gary Shore’s directorial debut, and it’s easy to see the marks of a neophyte director. Had it been in the hands of someone more experienced, it would have been a juggernaut of a Fall film. Even so, he did pretty well enough, all things considered. According to his work history, Shore was an electrician until 1998, then disappeared until 2014. This is his second film so far this year.

Dracula Untold opens with the story of Vlad the Impaler, as told by his son. Vlad was shipped off to the Turks to become a trained and conditioned weapon. He earned his title by impaling an entire village for the Turkish army. Vlad was a deadly force on the battlefield, but they eventually allowed him to go home, where he could start a family and rule Transylvania. It is painfully obvious that the usual blood-thirsty character was meant to become a hero for this new tale.

The Turks return to take more boys, like they did him, but he refuses. This draws the Turks’ ire, and they demand retribution for the insult and insubordination. Desperate, he seeks out a monster in the mountains who was the REAL first vampire — a man who made a deal with a demon.

Vlad is granted temporary powers, paying a heavy price in the process. After this, the story really ramps up.

This film left me feeling as if something was missing. I attribute this to missing explanations, plot holes (like the lack of King), and several other missteps. Normally, I can look past plot holes. A strong enough movie will keep me from noticing them until I’m rethinking it later. In this case, they were too distracting. The music was unimpressive and not at all memorable. The one liners were forced and distracting, instead of powerful and emotional.

This movie is worth seeing if you’re a fan of vampires in general or Dracula in particular. That said, I wouldn’t advise high expectations. Great aspects were abundant, but there were just as many failings. If you feel compelled to see it, wait until you can see it at home, and save the money.