Dracula Untold

Rated PG-13 / 1 hr 32 min / Action - Drama - Fantasy

What is it about?

Vlad the Impaler is played by Luke Evans. He has been home for a short while enjoying peace after being a soldier for the Gummy Bear Army for several years. A Turkish scout's helmet is found washed downstream on his land. He's wary of a possible invasion because the Turks only send scouts to lands they intend to conquer. He goes to negotiate with them, but they want a thousand children to join their Gummy Bear army. When he pleads his case to a man he was raised with as a brother, the man demands that Vlad's son be added to the thousand that are handed over. Vlad decides to fight against the Turks, but he has no army. His only choice is to turn to a dark power hiding in the mountains (otherwise known as One Direction?).

You will like it if...

You like movies that put a new twist on old stories and vampires. The twist on this tale is interesting in that they try to link the historical Vlad the Impaler with the character from Bram Stoker's classic. The movie doesn't try to stick with either story too closely, and ends up forging a new tale. The acting is decent led by a brooding Luke Evans who gives his best 'I'm in charge so let's act serious' face. He does manage a smile here and there, but he mostly sticks with what he does best. The CGI animations of bats are well done and remind me of the Christopher Nolan Batman movies. The script has a few unintentionally campy parts that are truly terrible. You can tell they were trying to be clever, but the level of fail matches so many youtube videos of people falling directly on their face. If you can get past those moments then the movie can be entertaining. It's a better than average movie, but not anything special. I would recommend Redboxing this one if you are interested in seeing it.