SFX

Dracula Untold

Vlad Tepid

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Release Date: 9 February

2014 | 15 | Blu- ray/ DVD Director: Gary Shore Cast: Luke Evans, Dominic Cooper, Sarah Gadon, Art Parkinson, Charles Dance

Intended to

reintroduc­e and reboot Universal’s iconic monsters for a generation raised on Marvel’s allconquer­ing brand of cinematic superheroi­cs, Dracula Untold is an underwhelm­ing first step.

Luke Evans stars as Vlad Tepes, dedicated family man and Prince of Wallachia. After years of peace, the Turkish Sultan Mehmed II ( Dominic Cooper) demands 1,000 Wallachian boys to serve in his army, including Vlad’s own son. Hopelessly outnumbere­d, Vlad ventures to Broken Tooth Mountain, where Charles Dance’s mellifluou­s Master Vampire grants him the unholy power needed to defeat the invaders.

Set centuries before Drac’s bloodsucki­ng Victorian heyday, the film puts an initially interestin­g historical spin on the tale, adding supernatur­al shenanigan­s to the real- life story of Vlad the Impaler. It casts Vlad as a sympatheti­c figure, a tragic hero who falls into darkness trying to save the ones he loves. But what could have been a compelling character arc is undone by predictabl­e plotting that never leaves you in any doubt where the story is going.

Peculiarly it’s more superhero story than horror, with impossible bat- based powers and sweeping Lord Of The Rings- style scraps in abundance, but a noticeable absence of bloodshed and scares. The supporting cast is completely forgettabl­e, it’s poorly paced and a little too straight- faced, leaving the strange potential of this world largely unexplored.

Evans is a watchable leading man and does a decent job with the cod- Shakespear­e dialogue, while director Gary Shore uses Northern Ireland’s natural beauty to striking effect, and crafts some genuinely impressive visual effects sequences. It’s the story that really lets this down – the sad fact is it would have been better left untold.

A director’s commentary, a 10- minute “day in the life of Luke Evans” featurette, a brief alternate opening, a seven- minute featurette on bringing back Dracula, a bizarre 20- minute featurette where Luke Evans talks you through the film, and 13 minutes of genuinely interestin­g deleted scenes – including one with Slavic witch Baba Yaga, cut from the finished film. Jordan Farley

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As first dates go, it wasn’t a huge success.
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“There is NO dandruff on my shoulder, do you hear?”
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