Movie Review: Dracula Untold

Disclaimer - I watched this movie without having read or heard any reviews at all prior to the show (because I was one of the first to watch it since release here in Singapore). The movie was watched in solo in an almost deserted theater with no element of fear or distraction, and this review shall be based on the current movie without comparison to past Dracula movies or the original story by Bram Stoker.

Photosource: http://arielu.ro/dracula-untold-2014-este-despre-un-vlad-tepes-fara-mustata.html

It was a chaotic period in Transylvania where bloodshed and massacre were aplenty; child labour came in the form of soldiers on battlefields, but one rose within the torture and came to be known as Dracula ("the son of the Dragon").

This movie entailed the adventures and pains he took to keep his family and country safe and sound so they could enjoy more peace. But when threat and fear set in, and all plausible solutions seemed moot, Dracula had no choice but to turn to the darkness for help.

Despite his ruthlessness and the use of supernatural powers which now lent credence to him defeating the enemies with no shard of compassion in him, this movie somehow still portrayed him as a vampire with a lot of feelings that humans are attached to. Dracula might have killed in cold blood, but his people's opinions of him still mattered greatly, and he still loved his wife Mirena and son deeply. This in turn gave the usual vampiric flicks a twist - here we have a vampire who acted according to what his wife yearned, and one who had indirectly caused the war because of his love for his family.

The path to his turning from light into darkness was also not described much - it was merely a death that he woke up from, and began harnessing his newfound powers to war. There were some rather vastly exaggerated scenes / plots that fans of conventional vampiric movies (please exclude "Twilight"!) would be rather amused by.

For those seeking to enjoy a chilling vampiric flick in Dracula Untold, I would say that you might be disappointed, however you may be prepared to be entertained by the beautific scenes as often portrayed by ancient-themed movies, and lots of excitable battling action going on.

At 90 minutes (or 1 hr 30 mins) , this movie was a little short - just a very clear cut story detailing Dracula's life from birth to becoming Dracula "the Son of the Demon",  his effortless victories and what led to his eventual downfall, followed by a rather predictable modernistic ending.

All in all I enjoyed the show for its action-filled plot that keeps one's eyes glued to the screens and the beautiful pastoral / mountainous scenes, though I would peg it more as a no-brainer kind of show that elicited no need for thoughts or suspense.

Photosource: http://screenrant.com/dracula-untold-movie-interviews-story-details/