Dracula Untold – Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Chris Eberle

Synopsis

The legend of Dracula starts with young Vlad, a prince who is raised as a ruthless warrior by the Turks. He earns a reputation as “the Impaler” for his merciless and brutal destruction of the enemy. As an adult, he brings peace to his kingdom. When the Sultan demands 1000 boys to serve in his army, including Vlad’s own son, the Prince finds he must make a bargain with dark powers to save his family and his people. With the strength of 100 men and the speed of a falling star he crushes the invaders. The only price is an insatiable thirst for human blood. He has three days to save his lands before permanently becoming a monster. Can Vlad resist temptation long enough to regain his humanity?

Commentary

There are so many vampire movies and TV shows already out there that I wasn’t sure how Dracula Untold would fit into an already-saturated genre. The story is fairly original and actually has a very loose basis in fact. The legend of Dracula portrayed in Bram Stoker’s novel came from a man named Vlad The Impaler who ruled a portion of Europe from 1456-1462. This film weaves a tapestry made from equal parts fantasy and the supernatural. The setting is decidedly Middle-Earth-like and the supernatural element comes in when Vlad first meets a cave-dwelling vampire played by a very-creepy Charles Dance. Once he acquires his powers, the story gets a little derivative and predictable. The viewer is left just enough curious of the outcome but not quite in the manner of a great thriller. The end poses a few questions that might be answered in a future sequel but I wouldn’t bet too much on that happening. Overall, it’s easily worth a rental and will certainly find a place in the libraries of vampire and fantasy buffs.

Technical

The image has excellent contrast and detail but occasionally there is a little black crush. Color is rich and saturated with a blue tint which enhances the feel of foreboding. Dark scenes, which make up more than half the film, manage to avoid the murkiness that pervades many modern movies.

The audio is superb with fantastic use of a wide front sound stage and the surround channels. Bass effects have decent impact but I found the movement of objects as they panned around the room to be the most engaging aspect. Dialog was also very clear without any chestiness or sibilance.

Extras

Bonus features total just under an hour and include video commentary by principal actor Luke Evans, a short clip on set, a history of the Dracula legend, an analysis of one of the battle scenes, an alternate opening and deleted scenes. You also get full audio commentary by director Gary Shore and production designer Francois Audouy.