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Reviews for Renfield are in, and the movie’s darkly comedic gore and Nicolas Cage’s stylish new Dracula seem to have won over critics. Directed by Chris McKay and based on an original idea from Robert Kirkman (which is itself based on characters from Bram Stoker’s Dracula), Universal’s Renfield tells the story of Nicholas Hoult, Dracula’s servant, who falls in love with a traffic cop, played by Awkwafina. His newfound love encourages him to stand up to his master and seek his freedom.
Ahead of Renfield‘s release date later this week, critics’ reviews for the film are now pouring in. While some critics took issue with the movie’s unorganized presentation or lack of character depth, most seem to agree that the film offers up enough laughs, gore, heart, and chemistry between its two leading men to make it a worthwhile trip to the theater. Some even suggest Renfield could revamp Universal’s failed Dark Universe! Check out some review excerpts below:
Kirsten Lopez, The Wrap
“Renfield” is at its best when its focused on the eponymous character and bad Drac problem. Cage and Hoult recreate scenes from Bela Lugosi’s 1931 feature with such a striking attention to detail you’d believe they, Hoult especially, had been in the film all along.
In the modern world, Hoult never goes for an imitation of original Renfield actor Dwight Frye so eschews the original character’s madness for more sadness and desperation. He’s a victim of abuse with no idea who to turn to, and that’s outside the fact that he’s lived for hundreds of years by providing victims for a literal vampire.
Owen Gleiberman, Variety
“Renfield,” though, has no mystery, no poetry, no grandeur. It’s a scattershot lark jam-packed with “ideas,” none of which really take hold. Renfield, embodied by Nicholas Hoult as if he were the Hugh Grant of the ’90s playing a neurasthenic British pop star of the ’80s (think Robert Smith or the members of Spandau Ballet), is introduced at a 12-step meeting for people in codependent relationships, and the film’s overarching joke is that Dracula is an abusive narcissist whose power over Renfield is a form of gaslighting.
Liz Shannon Miller, Consequence
While fondly remembering Universal’s failed effort to create a MCU-esque franchise featuring its iconic monsters is always a great deal of fun, there’s another reason to be glad that nascent cinematic universe didn’t get off the ground: It probably would have prevented the making of Renfield. Directed by Chris McKay, and based on a story by The Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman, the new Universal film proves to be a gloriously violent and thoroughly enjoyable action comedy, with a bold visual aesthetic that loves color as much as it loves seeing a person’s insides on the outside.
Kim Newman, Empire Magazine
It’s a horror-comic orgy of gore, with any number of bad guys torn to pieces, but occasionally pauses for poignant moments about the life Renfield lost by submitting to his master and unusual spins on vampire lore. Cage, who ate a real cockroach while starring in Vampire’s Kiss, has obviously been waiting for this gig all his life and chews every morsel given him, but Hoult and Awkwafina give the movie heart.
Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times
There are pleasures to be found in “Renfield,” particularly a stylish black-and-white sequence early on, and in Hoult’s wistfully debonair portrayal of a well-meaning chap trapped in a job he never applied for. But even with its brief running time, the movie runs out of steam too quickly, and Awkwafina’s character in particular seems like a first draft.
Casey Chong, Casey’s Movie Mania
Heads rolling, limbs flying, guts spilling, you name it — it’s like a free flow of extreme gore and violence and McKay doesn’t shy away from executing them as graphically as possible. The action is thrillingly staged to both visceral and stylish effects as we see Renfield dispatching the bad guys using his super strength like nobody’s business after swallowing a bug. Imagine a John Wick movie but done in a highly kinetic gory-horror style and you’ll get the idea here.
Mike Scott, Times-Picayune
Every bit as much an action-comedy as it is a horror film, it doesn’t have a serious bone in its undead body. Aside from Cage’s deliciously over-the-top performance and the easy-to-embrace charm of the terrific Nicholas Hoult in the title role, McKay’s film effectively leverages the comic talents of co-stars Awkwafina and Ben Schwartz to add an element of levity to its dalliances with death.
Jeff Nelson, Showbiz Cheat Sheet
McKay and cinematographer Marco Beltrami bring style to Renfield, frequently utilizing neon colors in its palette that contrast with the occasional throwback to iconic black-and-white Draculan imagery. The screen is constantly pulsating with personality, unafraid to explore a playful side to what could have carried a much more serious tone. However, it’s never framed as goofy. The New Orleans location is a fun, yet underutilized setting that could have made for more set pieces.
What Renfield’s Reviews Tell Us About The Movie
While it seems like most critics agree that Renfield isn’t exactly an exceptional or particularly awards-worthy film, it’s clear that the movie boasts a sense of fun that simply makes it an enjoyable watch. The movie’s stylish action sequences are mentioned in a number of the reviews, with McKay’s direction seemingly making these moments both aesthetically quite interesting and hilariously over-the-top in terms of gore.
One critic took issue with Awkwafina’s character, Rebecca, claiming she was fairly underdeveloped compared to Renfield and Dracula. Although Rebecca doesn’t get much attention in the other reviews, it seems like the chemistry between Hoult and Cage serves as an effective main anchor for the film’s overarching story. Cage’s new Dracula, as well, seems to be a worthy take on the iconic Universal monster.
In order for movies that are heavy on violence and action to feel like worthwhile ventures, they typically need a powerful human story at the center. Renfield evidently features plenty of the former, and most reviews seemingly agree that the human element is strong enough to back up all this action. It remains to be seen how Renfield will play with general audiences, but there are only a few days left now before the movie hits theaters.
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