Movie Review: Renfield

 

Hey everyone, my name is Anthony and welcome back to Movie Review.

Vampires, these human creatures are known for being isolated in abandoned house or castle in darkness, but only showing up in the middle of night for blood and lust at beautiful women, as well as sleeping in the coffin from the daylight without getting disintegrated. Or having a a pissed off vampire boss to our unlikely main hero, who happens to be our old friend Nick Cage.

“Renfield” is a 2023 horror comedy film that was produced/directed by Chris McKay, co-produced by Robert Kirkman, David Alpert, Bryan Furst and Sean Furst, and written by Ryan Ridley (for screenplay) and Robert Kirman (for story).

The idea came back in 2014, where Universal Pictures wanted to bring back classic monster movies, but reboot in modern way, they started with Dracula Untold, but it was badly received, resulting a second reboot with The Mummy in 2017, but the result is somehow, EVEN WORSE! Which not only its also badly received, but it got flopped at the box-office for their second attempt, resulting to going back to the drawing board for Universal, by making another Dracula movie, after the movie got into a development hell, along with redemption of their remake of The Invisible Man in 2020, they’re getting back into the project, while they originally hire Dexter Fletcher as the director, but Dex bowed out to focusing on his remake of “The Saint” with Paramount, leaving Chris McKay took over as the main director to changing to a typical horror or lame action (since what they did to both Dracula Until and The Mummy remake), they changed into a horror comedy which they took an inspiration idea from “What we do in the shadows” by Taika Waititi. Not to mention, this isn’t the first time we have Nicolas Cage in a vampire movie, the one I know (haven’t seen, yet) is Vampire’s Kiss in 1988.

So, with all that said, will Renfield gets a respect for follow Drac’s order, or Dracula deserve better to be the main title?

Well, lets find out.

The Story

For a movie even Dracula’s servant, it could be unique, but kinda confusing.

The movie begins with an origin around in early 20th Century, where we introduced Dracula who’s welcomed to an English then lawyer named Robert Montague Renfield to coming in his castle in Transylvania, but thanks to Dracula’s cunning, creepy hypnotic and narcissism to him, Renfield has becoming his assistant with greater power like strength and speed, but only way to use the powers, is to consuming bugs. Fast forward to present time, Renfield has lost his touch after constantly carrying dead bodies for his master Dracula, leaving him secretly entering the self-help group in order to change his life to be codependent. However, his confrontation of crimes are ruined thanks to the group of assassins trying to kill Renfield and the second generation of Quincy family named Rebecca, while Renfield kills the assassins, the assassin enforcer Teddy Lobo got away and having Dracula being isn’t very pleasing over crime body that he wants innocent people, leaving Renfield have a hard time to figuring out to trusting his master, its up to him for either keep working with Dracula and trying to turning him away.

Yeah, I may like the idea of an assistant trying to be free from being enslave from Dracula may sounds like a good idea that he wants to spicing up his life in modern world after more than decades, while he still has powers from bugs. However, its the execution would’ve been works, its mainly the direction could be confusing if Renfield is either trying to live with new life or gotta fight the bad guys from Lobo family for both him and Dracula, as well as his attempt to have a chemistry to Rebecca Quincy, despite she’s looking for a clue after the crime scene after the killing crimes. It feels like its mean to be a main hero trying to break free, but with a buddy cop element for the clues of killing crimes and facing against the mob family in New Orleans, which again, il give a credit for the idea, but the execution is nearly confusing for either the direction or the writing.

Speaking of which, it also has a humor, which I will admit, its kinda funny, even if some that they’re trying to be funny are rather off that they tried, well, maybe except for Nicolas Cage, cause well, if you’ve seen my review of “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent”, you know Nick Cage gave us his unique level of his… Humor and acting how he gave us for years.

The writing isn’t as good for the plot and some elements about an assistant trying to break free, which I may like the idea, but the execution just didn’t mesh well from either writing problem as questionable subplot.

The Presentation

The movie’s budget costs $65M, while it looks kinda cheap, but, looks pretty good.

With the movie’s story suggested, they obviously filmed in New Orleans, and its a nice location pick for of the movie, it looks beautiful and some of the apartments like in hotel, restaurant and abandoned apartment are either creative, unique and even grim. Speaking of grim, the lighting pick whenever are in disturbing or some of the action, are a nice pick, kinda like they took a similar color light of Creepshow. One weird part of the filming is when they pulled the imitation of classic Dracula film from 1931, which they had to editing out from Bela Lugosi’s Dracula and Dwight Frye’s Renfield with both Nick Cage and Nicholas Hoult in the old movie, while rest are recycled for the purpose of the backstory, again, I find it odd to have both current actors replacing the late actors in the 1930’s to do the imitations.

As for the design, like I said, the location design are pretty cool to have a grim feel in the abandoned apartment or even Halloween themed restaurant. Though the outfit designs are minimal, with the exception of Dracula’s outfit that I will admit, looks pretty nice looking, in a narcissism way.

And finally, what better way to have the action scenes, which whenever Renfield eats a bug, this is where he goes into Beast Mode with abilities with a brutal beating and killing, while its obviously done with some practical and the CG blood and gore. While some blood are fake as CG, but man, its a pretty cool, brutal and gory action scenes of body counts.

While there some questionable idea of the presentation, but the film’s presentation looks pretty fascinating and of course, brutally gory in action scenes.

The Characters

While it has some elements from Dracula, you think the modernization of it could gave us some unique character developments? Well, technically yes, but again, questionable execution.

Lets start off the title protagonist Robert Montague Renfield (played by Nicholas Hoult), the main Dracula’s assistant who’s been with him from decades before felt exhaust and being treated like Dracula’s slave, despite he wants to going out freely to changing his life, while using special abilities from consuming bugs. I find him an ok protagonist, which again, I appreciated the idea for his character development that he wants to be free than being stuck with Dracula’s order night by night, but the execution would’ve gone better. Not to mention, despite Hoult did a nice work of role for his narration, but he’s not like Dwight Frye for being nearly overactive and creepy, but more like a struggling and awkward man, which again, despite nice work of his role, but his depiction of Renfield is a different story.

Next up is Dracula himself (played by Nicolas Cage), a legendary vampire from Transylvania who greeted Renfield as his assistant and later on, a narcissistic time-bomb vampire boss. Despite his looks is obviously similar to Bela Lugosi, but man, he’s such a new level of his narcissism and being a Dick to Renfield. But like I said, what do you expected when it comes to Nick Cage’s delivery in his method acting for being explosive to creepy, especially when giving him a spiky teeth.

After that, we have Rebecca Quincy (played by Awkwafina, jeez 4th time to bring her in my review…!), the traffic cop of NOPD who happens to be a second generation of Quincy Family since Quincy Morris, which she went from traffic cop to investigating a clue. I find her to be passable, while she’s in frustration for doing her job and want to know solving the killings to support her sister Kate (played by Camille Chen) and her late father, even if she’s not in a mood of BS in order to know from the killing investigation. Even though she’s nowhere in sense of humor (perhaps), but she did a good work of her role.

Next, we have Teddy Lobo (played by Ben Schwartz, aka Sonic The Hedgehog), the main evil rival against Renfield for his mother’s order in purpose to take Dracula’s power to taking over New Orleans. I find him also passable, he started of bringing his assassins to kill Renfield to spiral into madness when he meets Dracula, as if he wants to taking a same power over his target for again, sabotaging New Orleans. He maybe over-the-top, but he’s nowhere high as Cage’s Dracula, I guess it explained why I prefer his role of Sonic. Aw well.

And lastly is the Bellafrancesca Lobo (played by Shohreh Aghdashloo), a mob boss of Lobo Family for, like I said before, to sabotaging New Orleans to take Renfield out of picture to bringing Dracula. I will say, she’s quite of menacing villainess in this movie, mainly for bring her son to assassination mission to finding a legendary vampire. Not to mention, despite she Iranian-American, but her voice as mob leader is pretty deep of threatening that I can’t help but sounds like Gozer from Ghostbusters, which she actually does in “Ghostbusters Afterlife”, maybe il review it in my future (as well as classic ones).

As for the rest of them, there’s aren’t much else, despite some that are important.

Such as Mark (played by Brandon Scott Jones) is the leader of self-help group, and Chris (played by Adrian Martinez) who’s Rebecca’s partner.

While the original Dracula characters like Renfield and Dracula himself have a changing depiction after the 9 decades, some characters are either ok to would’ve gone better, but il give a credit to some actors, maybe except for Renfield.

And now for my final opinion of this film.

Overall, Renfield is an average movie at best what Universal Pictures trying to do another remake.

While I like the idea of the story, some good acting and a one helluva violence in action scenes. But its just that the execution is kinda weak for its writing of subplots, a weird inclusion from 1931’s Dracula in a purpose of flashback Renfield’s delivery would’ve gone better compare to Dwight Frye back then.

This is the movie for another classic monsters remake, this one is pretty unlikely to have another box-office attempt, but as im writing this, it received less as more than $25M compare to $65M, yeah, this movie came out in bad timing to battling against some serious competitors…

Do I recommended this movie? Im not so sure about, maybe you can see it once if you like or hate this movie, sure it has good ideas, but the execution could’ve gone better.

For my rating, im gonna give this one… 5.5/10.

So this ends of my movie review, if you guys have your opinion or any suggestions, let me know at comment bellow and support me on KO-FI.com/blackevil.

Thanks for reading, and im Anthony, signing out.