Review Renfield – Review on FilmTotaal
Director: Chris McKay | Script: Ryan Ridley, Ava Tramer | Cast: Nicholas Hoult (Renfield), Nicolas Cage (Dracula), Awkwafina (Rebecca), Ben Schwartz (Teddy Lobo), Shohreh Aghdashloo (Bellafrancesca Lobo), ea | Time to play: 93 minutes | Year: 2023
Nicolas Cage, whose real name is Nicolas Coppola (yes, related to him), has long been used to being the most stunning actor in Hollywood and has learned to make his performances less over the top. the creators of Renfield I bet fans of Cage, or at least his over-the-top acting, will be drawn to the movies for his portrayal of Count Dracula. They certainly get what they want, but thankfully Nicholas Hoult remains the absolute lead.
Renfield, Dracula’s notorious insect-eating servant, is now beyond tired of his job. Every time he tries to wriggle out of his master’s grasp, he’s tricked into coming back, only to find himself a doormat after all. Dracula’s hypnotic gift illustrates how he repeatedly convinces the victims of narcissists to stay.
It’s now 2023 and Renfield is in New Orleans, where he has to supply his battered vampire boss with corpses so he can fix it. But in that same city there is a notorious crime family and a policeman fanatical about putting them behind bars, and that will clash with the Renfield cases.
Renfield it’s based on an idea by Robert Kirkman, the man who created The Walking Dead comics, among other things. A good idea to see Dracula through the eyes of the footman. Since even his thoughts are not free, the count can read them from a distance. It is definitely a toxic relationship.
That premise is not enough for a complete plot. At least not if you want to make an exciting genre movie. That is why the fight against that criminal family is added. Awkwafina is an unusual choice as an incorruptible police officer, but still manages to play a credible law enforcement officer. Perhaps this is due to the bad mouth of her character, which makes her tough and comical.
Nicholas Hoult makes the biggest impression as Renfield. The height of him makes him lanky, the somewhat muscular build of him makes him strong, the big blue eyes of him make him cute but attractive. Hoult uses his attributes to be a successful submissive wrestler. In Dracula’s presence he is a weak and subservient child, in his support group he is a hopeful dreamer yearning for a normal life, in battle he is a beast who shatters everyone.
The latter involves a large number of liters of blood, but it regularly comes out of the computer. And that sometimes reminds Blade, which is not a compliment since that movie was made in 1998. You don’t see it, even if it’s only half a second on screen. What did the studio possess to be satisfied with this?
But in theory, it’s absolute gore. Especially during a fight in an apartment complex, Renfield goes completely nuts. He slams his fist into someone’s head, rips their face off, and goes on and on, violent but creative, something horror fans can appreciate. This also goes for Dracula’s special makeup when he first appears in 2023. He’s been hit hard by a recent assassination attempt, and the makeup has reflected that beautifully.
This also applies to the images at the beginning when Renfield talks about his encounter with Dracula. It’s unclear if this is original footage or if Cage and Hoult have been placed on existing footage via special effects, but it looks perfectly like an old Dracula movie starring Bela Lugosi – the black and white image faded and scratched , the cinematography. Beautifully and lovingly made.
It is a relatively short movie with a simple story and a lot of action. The addition of breaking free from a non-functional relationship does everything right. The subject is treated superficially, but that fits better here than deep elaboration. The only thing incredibly deep is the voice of actress Shohreh Aghdashloo.