Dracula Untold

I was really really really looking forward to this one because like many out there, I have a fascination with the count.  And like many out there who would have seen the “Untold” story of Dracula by now, I walked out quite – disappointed.

Dracula Untold, as the name suggests, is the fictional (or I guess so) prequel to someone who is arguable the most feared character in cinema for nearly a century now.  The back story starts with the endeavor of the Turks to take over the world.  Young boys from ages 10 to 14 would be taken away from their families and tortured into being strong men who knew nothing but to decimate everything that stands in their way.

One such boy – Vlad (Luke Evans) – grows up to be the most feared.  He acquires fame under the name – The Impaler – because of his method of killing. Vlad grows to become The Prince of Transylvania and is both adored and feared by his people.  His rule, however, comes with a rider of allegiance to the new Sultan Mehmed (Dominic Cooper).

But the peace in Transylvania falls prey to Mehmed’s ambitions.  Vlad is forced to make a choice between giving up his son or wage war against the most powerful army in the world.  But Mehmed is unaware of the secret of Broken Tooth Mountain.  A secret that will turn Vlad into a person with unfathomable power.  All Vlad has to do is abstain from human blood for 3 days.

Director Gary Shore’s debut movie has a very interesting story line but it is fraught with extremely stale screenplay and every more horrid dialogues.  It is as if Shore was unsure whether he wanted The Count portrayed as a 15^th Century Vampire or a modern day Terminator. What else would explain dialogues such as “Negotiations Failed” or “Let the games begin”.

Having said that, shore has maximized the use of technology available to him.  I cannot comment on the use of 3D (I saw the vanilla version) but it may well be really good.  Most of the movie is shot in Ireland (I wonder why they didn’t pick Romania) and has some really scenic shots.

The cast is forgettable and the narration plain awful. Even the die-hard fans of Dracula like this author would find it difficult to sustain their interest beyond 10 minutes.  Watch Dracula Untold for the effects and only if you have nothing better to do.  Unfortunately it will be worse on the small screen so I cannot recommend that you watch it on TV.  4 on 10.  Definitely worth a miss.

Watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi1558818585/?ref_=tt_ov_vi