Plot: With his kingdom under threat from the Turks, Prince Vlad will do anything to protect the children from being enslaved, including his own son. But the quest for power will cost him more riches and gold than he has. It will cost him his soul.
As Vlad struggles to remain human, his people flee to the mountains. The Turks bring the fight to them though, and in an intense struggle, Vlad must decide between losing the final remains of his humanity or losing everything he had fought so hard for. On that dark battlefield, a legend is created: Dracula.
Quote: `But sometimes, the world doesn’t need another hero. Sometimes, what it needs is a monster.
Opinion: Dracula: Untold was not a light or entertaining film to watch. It was intense, heavy-going and emotionally strained at times. That being said, I still enjoyed it more than I thought I would.
The plot told the story of Dracula; a prince determined to protect his people at the cost of his humanity. I know nothing about the legend of Dracula to know whether it follows other stories or carves its own. But it was straightforward to follow; there were no extra plot-lines weaved through to complicate matters.
Between the straight-forward story and the length of the film, Dracula: Untold had a relatively fast-paced plot. It felt, for once, that it wasn’t being dragged out just so special effects could be lavished onto unnecessary fight scenes. It moved swiftly, helping to build the tension by not going off on a tangent that is so common to films such as these.
Luke Evans made a good Vlad. He has the rustic look of a Prince and can effectively battle his way through a fight scene. Evans also showed a more tender and fun side to the prince. In all honesty, it felt like he portrayed Vlad the same way as Bard was played in The Hobbit: Battle of Five Armies. Not that there is anything wrong with that! Sarah Gadon was convincing as Mirena, as a queen, a mother and a loving wife combined into one. The other supporting actors also delivered their roles well. The performances were strong throughout.
Dracula: Untold is not the type of film where you can discuss character development. The struggle throughout is Vlad holding onto his humanity, but as events escalate and desperation takes hold, that struggle becomes pointless. Still, the characters were portrayed as heroes and you wanted Vlad and his men to emerge victorious, even if they were not the traditional heroes we are used to.
I enjoyed this film, although it is not one I would watch again in a hero. It was a little too intense for entertainment purposes, but with the strong acting and rapidly moving plot, it drew me in and I remained engaged the whole time. The only thing that distracted me was the volume – I couldn’t hear most of what they were saying – but that could have been my copy.
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A Rambling Reviewer 