Dracula Untold

Here's a surprise--I actually liked Dracula Untold. The first in a proposed "reboot" of Universal's horror classics, the film didn't get good reviews and business, and if it was to be anything like the horrible Van Helsing it would be like a knife to the gut of any true horror fan. But I was pleasantly surprised that it was terrific looking, suspenseful, and above all, fairly historically accurate. Except for the vampire bit, of course.

Directed with aplomb by Gary Shore, Dracula Untold is basically Dracula's origin story. We meet Prince Vlad of Transylvania (actually, Vlad Tepes was the prince of Wallachia, but that's too confusing), who after being held hostage by the Turks, returns to lead his people. Part of that is true--he was held hostage by the Turks, but did all his impaling stuff after he left them, not before, as the movie would have us believe.

As played by Luke Evans, Vlad tries to atone for his sins and lead a nice family life, with his wife (Sarah Gadon) and son. But the Turks, who are vilified here, want more than money as tribute. They want 1,000 boys for the army. The Turkish Sultan (Dominic Cooper), a former friend of Vlad's, is our villain here.

Turns out Vlad knows about some kind of monster living in a cave. He is told by a monk that it is a vampire, who asked for powers from a demon but got screwed by being imprisoned in that cave. Vlad, realizing his kingdom will be destroyed, goes to this monster for help. The vampire (a very malevolent Charles Dance) agrees, and feeds Vlad some of his blood. But if he can't resist drinking blood himself for three days, he will be a vampire for eternity.

Empowered, Vlad leads his armies against the Turks, taking the form not just of one bat but an entire colony. He ends up having a showdown with the Sultan, who tries to defeat Vlad with his considerable pile of silver coins (the old standbys--daylight, silver, and a cross, are the vampire's weaknesses) but Vlad proves triumphant, though he must remain a vampire forever.

Now, Dracula Untold is no masterpiece, and it suffers from a bit too much movie magic. From the paintings we have of Vlad, Luke Evans is not exactly a doppelganger. Transylvania is a wild, exotic place,but this film looks as if it were shot in any old forest, without any sense of foreboding. I also found the costumes bland. But Shore has a nice sense of rhythm and suspense, and I was generally interested throughout (I know when I'm watching a movie at home if I'm bored because I will hit the pause button and check out my phone).

I don't know if the reboot plan has been scrapped--the end of this film puzzlingly sets it up for a sequel--but if the same team is involved I'd be interested in seeing what comes next.