Last week I had the pleasure of joining with over 20 members of the Sabretooth Clan in attending a secret sneak preview screening of the new film “Dracula Untold” in New York City.
Of course, we were all skeptical about Universal’s attempt to reboot the Universal Monsters franchise. Of course, as individuals who live and breathe vampires, we are usually the harshest critics but we ended up being pleasantly surprised. The star of the film (Luke Evans) did justice to our beloved Dracula. The costumes and script were all quite well done. The plot focuses on the origins of Dracula and closely follows the origins of the historical figure Vlad Tepes.
What I particularly found fun was including a “master vampire” played by Charles Dance (Tywin Lannister of “Game of Thrones”). I also like the portrayal of Vlad Dracula as a tragic hero attempting to save his loved ones and kingdom. He is put up against impossible odds and portrays a story of sacrifice and tragedy.
I especially liked the allusion of Dracula as a modern super hero without being particularly cheesy. This film has a very different theme and vibe from my classic and favorite version of the story, Francis Ford Coppola’s 1992 “Bram Stoker’s Dracula.” The new film though, gives a refreshing storytelling of the Dracula genesis, while still managing to delight adults and young ones.
The end could have lent itself to more synergy in regards to…well, let’s not discuss that until more of you have seen the movie yourselves. I can say that the ending is very much set up for a sequel, however. It opened at #2 in the USA box office grossing over $23 million over the weekend, just behind Gone Girl.
We also had a surprise special guest… the Father of the Father, my dad himself!
A special thanks to our new friends at Universal. This is a movie I recommend to you.
I give “Dracula Untold” 3.5 bites out of 5 compared to “Bram Stoker’s Dracula,” which I give 4.5 bites on the Father Sebastiaan movie rating scale.
Did you get to see Dracula Untold yet? What are your thoughts and responses? Remember no spoilers?