Truemag

  • TrailersOur Thoughts On Trailers
  • ReviewsOur Thoughts On Movies
  • PodcastListen To Our Official Podcast
    • View on iTunesSubscribe to our Podcast
    • View on SoundcloudSubscribe to our Podcast
    • View EpisodesHosted by Brian & Olga
  • SpectrumFilm News & Opinions
    • At A GlanceUpcoming Films
    • Movie NewsThe latest in Hollywood
    • OpinionsFilm Essays by our Staff
Home » Reviews » Dracula Untold Review

Dracula Untold Review

Last updated on March 17th, 2017 at 12:41 am

Vampire Origins

Dracula Untold, directed by Gary Shore, is an attempted reboot at a classic, iconic character in the horror genre. The movie is about Vlad Tepes, prince of Transylvania, who seeks to protect his kingdom and family from the Turks. The sultan of Turkey has demanded one thousand young boys for his army and seeks to acquire them from Vlad’s kingdom. Now Vlad (Luke Evans) seeks a form of power that can concur the Turks and as a result turns to the darkness. When he acquires this power, he now faces the challenge of destroying his enemies while the darkness attempts to consume him.

Dracula-Untold-Vlad-Walking

Vlad walks through a military encampment.

Dracula UnMade

I am not familiar with the horror genre and its classic, iconic characters, but the movie filled me in on what I needed to know. With that said,  that the plot was okay and straightforward. I was never confused or felt lost in the plot. There were moments in the movie where there were really nice visuals depicting Vlad’s new powers. The film does a good job of keeping you informed without overcomplicating things.

Having said all this, there are some weaknesses in this film. Since I don’t know a lot about the history of Vlad Tepes or about Dracula I will base the rest of what I have to say on reception this movie received from mainstream critics and comparing that to what I saw in the movie. Despite the movie being straightforward and easy to follow along, one thing I noticed is that this movie doesn’t honor the character of Dracula. While this movie is classified in the horror genre, the movie juggles between being a true horror movie and an action movie. Dracula Untold doesn’t quite know which side it wants to take. This movie tries to borrow some modern filmmaking techniques from other genres to gain wider audience appeal, such as the use of more CGI to boast better visuals. It felt like this movie was trying to be a big scale action movie when the genre doesn’t necessarily call for it.

A personal note I have to make concerns the negative qualities of the plot. I did say it was straightforward and easy to follow along, but it’s also because of this that the movie doesn’t present a real challenge to build on character. I feel like the struggle that Vlad had to deal with was very basic that he stayed true to himself so easily while fighting the darkness that came with this power. My guess is this is one of the factors that play into fans of Dracula as a character not being happy with how he was portrayed in the movie. Vlad accepting the darkness so easily while also being able to keep a noble heart and conscience just as easily makes it feel like the character doesn’t have a huge struggle throughout the movie. On top of that there was a point in the movie where it seemed like the plot seemed predictable. I won’t say what point so as not to spoil the movie. One more thing to note is that this movie was meant to jumpstart a monsters universe helmed by Universal. Whether that played a part in how this movie turned out is up for debate.

Dracula-Untold-Bat-Crazy

Luke Evans strikes fear into the hearts of his enemies as Dracula.

Dracula Untold Verdict

Overall while Dracula Untold is an entertaining movie it does fall short in a few areas that cost the movie as a whole.  If you’re a big fan of the character of Dracula in past media and literary interpretations then this may not be the movie for you. If you’re looking for popcorn action/action horror flick or are looking forward to how Dracula is portrayed in this movie then see it while it’s still in theaters.

View Trailer  Official Site

Vampire Origins Dracula Untold, directed by Gary Shore, is an attempted reboot at a classic, iconic character in the horror genre. The movie is about Vlad Tepes, prince of Transylvania, who seeks to protect his kingdom and family from the Turks. The sultan of Turkey has demanded one thousand young…
Dracula Untold Review
Dracula Untold Review
2015-09-01
Brian Maya

A Dracula Worth Telling About?

Story - 70%
Performance - 60%
Cinematography - 60%
63

63%

CHARGED

Overall while Dracula Untold is an entertaining movie it does fall short in a few areas that cost the movie as a whole. If you’re a big fan of the character of Dracula in past media and literary interpretations then this may not be the movie for you. If you’re looking for popcorn action/action horror flick or are looking forward to how Dracula is portrayed in this movie then see it while it’s still in theaters.

User Rating: Be the first one !
63

Sep 1, 2015Brian Maya
Paper Towns ReviewAt A Glance: September 2015
Brian Maya

Brian Maya is the Editor-in-Chief of Dim The Lights. When he isn't writing about or watching film, he is playing video games, honing his skills as a digital designer and art director, or spending time with his lovely girlfriend, Olga Leticia.

Video7 years ago Action/Thriller, Adventure, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, Reviews2014, allan ling, Dim The LIghts, dracula, Dracula Untold, Luke Evans, Review, thriller
 Love Dim The Lights? 

Get The Week's Movie Highlights Right In Your Inbox

 More Reviews 
Rogue One Review | Dim The Lights Podcast Ep.7
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Review | Dim The Lights Podcast Ep. 7
6 years ago

Star Wars: Rogue One Review Happy New Year! It’s finally 2017 and we get to put behind the god-awful year of 2016. Sure, 2016 was pretty terrible in general, but it did have some highlights. One of the best movies of 2016 is Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Rogue One is the prequel to […]

Keeping Up With The Joneses Review with special guest Thomas "The Tank" | Dim The Lights Podcast Episode 6
Keeping Up With The Joneses Review | Dim The Lights Audio Podcast Ep.6
6 years ago

This week we talk about 'Keeping Up With The Joneses' with special guest Thomas "The Tank". Listen to this hilarious special episode of the Dim The Lights Podcast!

The Magnificent Seven Review | Dim The Lights Film Blog
An Old Fashion Standoff: The Magnificent Seven Review
6 years ago

Even with a good cast, The Magnificent Seven suffers from a lack of character development and is plagued with 2016's continued reboot fatigue

The Accountant | Dim The Lights Podcast Episode 5
The Accountant Review | Dim The Lights Audio Podcast Ep.5
6 years ago

Hey everyone! This week we discuss The Accountant, a film by Gavin O'Connor and starring Ben Affleck, Anna Kendrick and J.K. Simmons. Late Friday night, we were pleasantly surprised by The Accountant, which is not the film it is promoted to be. Rather than your typical action film, The Accountant offers much more that films like Jason Bourne were lacking.

Tom Hanks Soars In Sully Review
6 years ago

Based on Sully’s autobiography, Highest Duty, Sully reflects on the emergency landing of a commuter jet onto the Hudson River. Read more...

 Let’s Get Social 
 Archives 
Reach Out To Us

We love chatting with our listeners! Send questions and we'll answer them on our next podcast episode!

Email: info@dimthelightsfilmblog.com

More Content
  • Official Podcast
  • Latest Trailers
  • Latest Reviews
  • The Spectrum
Footer Sidebar 3

Drop a widget on "Footer Sidebar 3" sidebar at Appearance > Widgets page.

2017 © Dim The Lights Film Blog. Designed by Brian Maya