Three Sheep Movie Review: Dracula Untold (2014)

Dracula Untold (2014)
92 min - Action | Drama | Fantasy

10 October 2014 (USA) 
Director: Gary Shore 
Writers: Matt Sazama, Burk Sharpless, Bram Stoker
Stars: Luke Evans, Dominic Cooper, Sarah Gadon

Facing threats to his kingdom and his family, Vlad Tepes makes a deal with dangerous supernatural forces - whilst trying to avoid succumbing to the darkness himself.

Denise

Well it seems that Vlad's gone batty and the Turks are gonna pay! Dracula Untold is the tale of how Vlad Tepes became a vampire. The story begins with a chronicle of Vlad's history where as a young boy he was given over to the Turks by his father, the king, to form an alliance to protect his kingdom. He was subjected to brutal treatment and torture, which honed him into one of the greatest warriors and he was given the name Vlad the Impaler. 

Years have passed and Vlad is now a benevolent king who loves his people and cherishes his wife and son beyond all reason. The Turks are back seeking tribute and once again calling for an offering of young boys. All seems hopeless when Vlad makes a deal with the big bad to gain the strength to defeat his enemies and save those he loves, all while trying to keep from turning into the big bad himself. 

If you are looking for cinematic genius here, you are not going to find it, but it is certainly an entertaining spin on the usual tale. What you will get is some fun CGI that does not have that new echo seen on so many of the action flicks today that are also produced for 3D and tend to make the film visually annoying. I will admit to one jump from a gotcha and a few moments of laughing out loud with one giant snort, which of course occurred just as the music climaxed then went silent with my snort echoing throughout the theater and likely causing a gotcha moment of my own to my fellow moviegoers.

The costuming was not that great and the hair and makeup, well let's just say that the producers might have been better served contacting that show on the Syfy channel about the eliminated contestants from that show; however, there are some great moments that for me made up for this. The scripting was a little too American English, which tended in my opinion to detract a bit from the authenticity of the era, but I watched with one eye and ear for writing this review and at least I could understand all that was being said. Even with the epic battle scenes there is not a lot of blood and gore, thus achieving the PG13 rating, but there is plenty that is implied. There were some moments of good acting and some cheese that as previously mentioned made me giggle; however, Luke Evans is pretty great and well he is Luke Evans . . . let me just say bathtub scene nuff said.

Bottom line, if you are looking for the next great classic cinematic film you are not going to find it here. However, if you are a fan of the genre, Dracula Untold is an entertaining tale with some great moments that make it worth seeing on the big screen. I enjoyed the film and left the theater with a smile on my face and will definitely be putting the DVD on my wishlist to watch it again when that comes out. 

I am going to rate this one a 3.5 to 4 sheep because I had fun.

Sharon

I have to completely agree with Denise's analysis of the film. But she didn't give enough information about HOW. F***ING. SEXY. LUKE EVANS. IS. as Dracula. Thor and Optimus Prime gotta make room for one more. 

Like Denise said, the script, costumes, CGI were all ho-hum. I never really felt emotionally connected to any of the characters, unless lust for Dracula counts. It was more like a bunch of great scenes strung together without much between them. There is one scene that pulled at my heartstrings; when Dracula is trying to save his wife.

The no blood thing was silly. Dracula wiped out an entire army (not sure if it was 1K or 10K) but at the end of it there was not one drop of blood on him...thinking one of his vampire powers was Teflon exterior. 

See all those dead people? He did that...

They stuck to the lore pretty well with changes that made Dracula more of a victim of circumstances rather than a monster. There were a lot of places the editor in me went "wait a minute..." or "WTF?". It seemed people would get to destinations very quickly considering the terrain they had to cross. Basically I could pick this movie apart bit by bit, but I won't because over all I enjoyed it. The trailer pretty much sums it up and if you are into that kind of movie then it is worth a matinee price for the chance to watch 91 minutes of Luke Evans. I will add I really liked the ending. It wasn't the one I was expecting and sets things up for a sequel in modern times.

3 3/4 "Bat Whispering" Sheep

Katie 

I'm sorry but Sharon and Denise are not giving this movie it's full due. This film was SOOOO much fun! I loved it. Sure, things here and there were a little ho-hum (like the wigs) but overall this was a fantastic fresh take on a classic tale. There is a lot here to sink your teeth into! 

"Hey honey, so don't freak out BUT I just defeated that whole army of like 1000 dudes." LOL Vlad you so funny. "Negations didn't work." Yeah, I gathered that from the new human bone floor we have in our bedchanmer. No worries, marrow is good for your hair right? 

Dragon Armor for the win! 

I felt for my boy Drac, his sweet family and those traitors village of back stabbers. They could have stood by the dark prince, but that's on them and ultimately you get what you desires. 

A super long tongue moment had me cringing in the overpriced movie theater chair. But all the stellar action scenes were just AB- blood on top of this bat wing fun. He can control the creatures of the night folks! AMAZING. 

I loved it. The dragon lore was an added bonus and the ending scene certainly gives you a segue to the next install. Which I hope we get! Haters gonna hate and some reviewers will be harsh but like what you like. If you love vampires and adore Vlad as much as I do, then go see this one! 

4 and 1/2 "Luke Evans come bite me!" Sheep