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Only a few characters have had a profound cultural impact such as Bram Stokers Blood Sucking Count, Dracula. Throughout film history, many actors have dawned the iconic cape and fangs such as the legendary Bela Lugosi and the great Christopher Lee. But what about his loyal bug eating sidekick Renfield? He has been by the Counts side since its debut as a novel in 1897 and it seems he has gotten the short end of the stick for over 120 years, until today.
Universal Studios resurrects their legacy of monster movies with Renfield, starring Nicholas Holt as Renfield and Nicolas Cage as the Count. The film delivers a fun yet stylized gothic thrill that is a loving homage to the old Dracula films. The movie acts as a sort of a sequel to the 1931 Dracula, with the story revolving around Renfield trying to get out of the toxic relationship with his literal bloodsucking boss. After 90 years of doing his bidding, he decides to find a life outside the shadow of the prince of darkness. Holt delivers a funny and relatable portrayal of the media, and manages to give a sympathetic air to the character that really hasn’t had that before. One nice touch is that he manages to work in Dwight Frye’s iconic laugh from the 1931 film.
While this is certainly Renfields film, Nicolas Cage delivers a Dracula performance to remember. Cages Dracula is a sadistic and narcissistic monster dressed in Victorian clothing. Cages larger-than-life persona works wonderfully with the characters aesthetic. While visually he resembles Bela Lugosi, he takes notes from Christopher Lee in his mannerisms and movements. Although he draw inspiration from the Draculas of days gone, he is completely his own beast, a Dracula for the 21st century.
Awkwafina plays officer Rebecca Quincy, a fiery young officer looking to avenge the death of her father who died at the hands of the notorious Lobo crime family. While she does have some funny lines, the organized crime subplot ultimately takes away screen time from Holt and Cage, though it does provide an excuse for Ben Shwartz to be in the film, who is always a delight.
The film utilizes its New Orleans location to provide visually impressive set pieces, including the Vampires lair which is in an abandoned hospital, as well as a parade float warehouse and a spooky clown themed restaurant that adds a nice splash of color to the film while still maintaining its creepy, atmospheric vibe. The makeup and practical effects are extremely well done, with the makeup applied to Cage in particular being extremely impressive. The gory, over the top Mortal Kombat-esque fight scenes are also very entertaining, even if the CGI used was a little lackluster at points. Another nice touch is several easter eggs pertaining to the 1931 Dracula and cameos from horror alumni that veteran horror fans are sure to get a kick out of.
Reinfield is a crimson-coated delight. Even if it is a bit slow at points, it provides plenty of monstrous entertainment and gore that will delight old and new horror fans alike and makes for a fun spooky watch.
