Dracula Untold (2014) : 4/5 STARS
Dracula Untold (2014) is a fantasy action movie directed by Gary Shore, Written by Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless. Adapting from the normal folklore this film explores the supposed ‘making of Dracula’ and who he was before the established vampire he is known as. Mehmen the Conqueror arrives in Transylvania with his Turkish army, requesting far too high a price for peace from Prince of Wallachia, also known as Vlad III. After refusing to do what his father once did, Vlad III climbs to broken tooth mountain to find a way to beat the Turkish army, finding a monster who grants him “the strength of a thousand men and speed of a falling star”. The film follows Vlad the Impaler (as he is known on the battlefield) as he helps his comrades fight the army approaching, while trying to keep his family and the people of Transylvania safe.
Dracula Untold (2014) is Gary Shore’s debut film, as he had only previously directed a short film called The Draft (2006). Gary Shore has gone on to direct a short film called St.Patricks Day (2016) and is currently working on a Queen Mary film that is yet to have a title. This gives this movie a lot more pressure as it’s what he will be known for during his rise in the Hollywood film industry. The cast consists of Vlad (Dracula) played by Luke Evans, his wife Mirena played by Sarah Gadon, Mehmed the head of the Turkish army played by Dominic Cooper, and the son of Vlad and Mirena; Ingeras played by Art Parkinson. As a young Irish actor, Art Parkinson has gone from being a cast member in this film to star in Love, Rosie (2014), I Kill Giants (2017), Zoo (2017) and the multi-award winning TV series Game of Thrones (2011-2016) as Rickon Stark, featuring in 14 episodes.
On top of having great actors on screen, Dracula Untold (2014) includes one of the best CG transformations of any vampire I’ve seen, and I always think of it when I think of the film. Framestore - the visual effects team who worked on the film - used the folklore of vampires turning into bats, and gave it a whole new meaning as Vlad the Impaler is able to turn into a swarm of them. For a fan of science fiction and especially of vampires, I can say that it’s refreshing to get a different version of the blood-sucker from the others, as this one deviates from the 1897 novel enough to be unique, whilst not being as different as the likes of Edward from Twilight (2008). My thoughts on the film are overall quite positive and I feel this film brings Dracula to life in ways that others did not. Although yes, there was a lack of character development and romance compared to others, I still appreciate the action packed feel of the movie and would like to see a sequel with this type of Dracula.
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