The title says it all folks, Renfield is great but does occasionally suck the life out of you. There are some great horror aspects, the occasional good joke, and a lot of blood in this vampire flick. But all in all, something still feels off. Dracula did not need to be in a mafia comedy at all. You would have to hypnotize me to make me believe it. Let’s just say this film took its idea and didn’t really run far with it
In Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Renfield is crazy, obsessed, and very delusional. He is the catalyst for bringing anyone to Dracula’s castle. I was excited to hear that Nicholas Hoult would play Renfield. He could easily pull off a serious film about a man who attempts to get his life back. But Hoult’s version doesn’t feel like the Renfield we know at all.
Renfield gives a glimpse of what his life has been like since becoming Dracula’s familiar. He’s exhausted and is tired of running from city to city every time someone thinks they have defeated Dracula when really he just needs to heal again. Of course, his life changes when he learns from someone with a bit more autonomy. This Renfield just feels like he has half a brain and is able to be amongst regular human beings without standing out too much. So is this a crazed familiar or is this just Guillermo De La Cruz in white makeup?
It almost felt like this film had two paths and this was the road that shouldn’t have been traveled.
Renfield, as a vampire comedy, feels like it needed to learn a bit more from What We Do in the Shadows in terms of how to do it right. The comedy in Renfield focused more on the ridiculousness of Renfield’s powers. He can get a sliver of Dracula’s power if he has the life force of a small bug and it has big consequences. A lot of the film is just Renfield dismembering people with his crazy strength. It’s like horror slapstick with a vampire at the center of it which is fun for a while until it happens at least four different times. Other bits like Tommy Lobo’s difficult relationship with his mother didn’t hit well with me. Dracula partnering up with the mafia – named after wolves? Not on my bingo card. Not that I cared enough to put it on a bingo card.
In reality, I was here for Nicholas Hoult. His quick-witted tone and over-the-top funny, make me miss him in The Great. Of course, if I wanted to see a better version of that, I would just watch The Great. Whoever said Nic Cage, Nicholas Hoult, and Awkawafina should be in a movie together, needs to reconsider their life choices. It felt as though the chemistry between any of the characters wasn’t there.
Nic Cage is a great actor and as showcased by last year’s The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, he seems to be leaning into more ridiculous roles. His Dracula is all powerful and terrifying, but when it comes to being the leader in the film, he’s not. Dracula isn’t meant to be the main character in this film, but when he is played by Nicolas Cage, this vampire has to be. So maybe casting another Dracula would’ve been a better choice overall.
Hoult’s Renfield needs a good straight man to combat his ridiculousness. Awkwafina’s Rebecca Quincy is meant to be the perfect match. But her honorable cop facade falls flat amongst too much awkward exposition and Awkwafina’s usual sarcastic humor. We discover Rebecca is out to avenge her father’s death from her captain, in front of the whole precinct. Good sir, who said you had to air her dirty laundry out there like that? Countless times Rebecca’s mission seems unimportant compared to Renfield’s problem. She doesn’t even really get to retaliate against the mafia that changed her life. Renfield just needed a human companion. so here came Rebecca. Although, she did teach him the power of standing up for himself – so I guess we did need her help.
Renfield isn’t a vampire romp due to its awkward casting and lackluster script. Then again, this isn’t the first time that modern-day life has failed Dracula – just look at the third episode of Steven Moffat’s Dracula and you’ll see he should have never been here. That’s not to say that vampires should not be in modern-day stories. Not all characters need to be taken out of their time period. Renfield and Dracula were not, so when you place them in the middle of a mafia conflict it just feels a bit wrong.
Sorry vampire lovers, this film isn’t for you. Action lovers on the other hand? Yeah, I’d say it’s worth it. Renfield is in theaters now.
