Dracula: Untold . . .

I recently went and saw Dracula Untold in the cinema.  As I've said many times before, I'm easily pleased when it comes to films and this one was no different.  It was darkish, gritty, and an enjoyable 90 minutes for me.

I've been intrigued with the idea of this film for sometime.  I've always held an interest in the historical element of Vlad the Impaler (and originally thought this film was his story) but it's more about Stoker's version and tells of how Dracula became the Lord of Darkness that he's now known as.  It mixes historical points, such as Vlad's brutal upbringing with the Turks, his protective rule over Walachia and Transylvania, and the raging wars that saw thousands impaled, with Stoker's fiction.  Even though I would have liked a more historical account, I wasn't disappointed with the mix of Stoker's vampirism.

A friend of mine wasn't too keen on seeing it, thinking what could they possibly add to the vampire genre that hasn't already been done and stretched to point of ridiculousness?  But she was pleasantly surprised.  There are a few elements within it that could easily be the usual vampire cheese (I won't give spoilers), but for the most part, it steered away from the typical.  I put this down to the historical element that lends itself to the story, no matter how accurate or inaccurate that may be.  

Reading some of the reviews going around the web, not everyone shares my opinion.  Some reviews are absolutely dire, saying there's a reason why this story was 'Untold', but I have to think, does it really deserve something that low?  Ok, it wasn't the oscar-winning masterpiece that trailers often make films out to be, but it was far from wrist-slitting, awful stuff.  FAR from it.  There were points that could have been dealt with better.  I would have liked to explore the demon that gave Vlad his powers more, think Vlad should have had more interaction with him before making his decision that it was the only way, and would have liked to see his struggle coming to grips with the change.  I know the character was thrown in at the deep end and probably didn't have time to consider whether what he was doing was for the best or have time to learn about his new abilities, but he suddenly became master of his powers without having time to fully know what he was capable of.  

Other than that, I LOVED the visuals with the bats, loved the settings and generally loved the film regardless of what others may think, and Luke Evans provided satisfying Eye-Candy in the form of a man torn between his rule and his family.  The only thing that annoyed me was a scene in the beginning where Vlad rides his horse away from the mountain - a horse that looked more like a Shetland pony than the impressive steed you'd expect the Prince of Transylvania to be riding...I mean, they could have at least measured for size before shooting.  It wouldn't have taken anything extra out of the budget. Jeeeez...