‘Every bloodline has a beginning’
Dracula Untold (originally titled Dracula: Year Zero) is a 2014 American horror film produced by Universal Pictures and Legendary Pictures and directed by Gary Shore from a screenplay by Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless.
It stars Luke Evans (The Raven; The Crow) as Vlad Tepes, the man who becomes the mythological bloodsucker Dracula, Sarah Gadon (The Moth Diaries) as Mirena, wife of Vlad, Dominic Cooper as Mehmed the Second, Samantha Barks as Baba Yaga, a beautiful woman who turns into an evil witch, Art Parkinson as Ingeras, son of Vlad/Dracula, Charlie Cox, William Houston, Ferdinand Kingsley, Noah Huntley, Dilan Gwyn, Zach McGowan, Ronan Vibert.
Location shooting took place in Northern Ireland. The film has a reported budget of 100 million dollars.
Plot teaser:
Vlad Tepes is a young prince who risks his soul, when the lives of his wife and child are put in danger by a bloodthirsty sultan. In the process, he becomes the first vampire…
Reviews:
“Whereas Francis Coppola’s 1992 “Dracula” (a veritable golden oldie in today’s short-term cultural memory) was a baroque, high-fashion free-for-all, “Dracula Untold” opts for the stately, staid approach, and even at a mere 85 minutes (sans credits) it’s something of a bore — neither scary nor romantic nor exciting in any of the ways it seems to intend.” Scott Foundas, Variety
“Shot in Ireland with sets, extras and costumes that evoke Game of Thrones, this is a comic book action-adventure with fantasy-horror elements, fatally overdependent on Luke Evans’ glowering presence and unsure whether to go for contemporary-sounding dialogue (Dracula repeatedly tells a dying comrade he’s ‘going to be okay’) and Black Shield of Falworth-style thigh-slapping swashbucklery.” Kim Newman, Screen Daily
“Making his feature debut, director Gary Shore displays little flair for the action sequences, with such stylistic devices as using Vlad’s POV for several scenes adding to the overall cheesiness. Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless’ muddled screenplay seems so intent on providing a Maleficent-style revisionist spin that it’s hard to believe that this heroic and sympathetic figure will ever wind up tormenting the nightmares of children for centuries to come. A coda set in the present day, with Vlad encountering his seemingly reincarnated wife in meet-cute fashion, is beyond silly…” The Hollywood Reporter
“Action isn’t the focus of the film, though, which is a surprisingly bold move for a film being sold as an effects-driven blockbuster. If anything, Dracula Untold is a family drama, and it’s a gambit that pays off well.” Duncan Bowles, Den of Geek
“For about the first hour of its running time, “Dracula Untold” is far too restrained and tasteful, and it certainly suffers from its tediously noble hero; it’s well made but fatally lacking in thrills or excitement. There are some modest battles here and there, but only Gadon’s lovely face seems truly worthy of the camera’s time until the last half hour, when the film springs to at least half life with several very imaginative images that make use of swarms of bats.” Dan Callahan, The Wrap
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