Movie Review : Dracula Untold
5:44:00 PM
We all know what it means when i actually pick a movie to dedicate a whole post for instead of chucking it into my usual monthly review.
I'm obsessed.
Maybe i should know better, a vampire (well, i've obsessively watched Luke Evans' interviews nonstop lately and he'd stress on the importance that this movie is not about Dracula the vampire, but about the man he was before, the transition and ultimately-the vampire he became over and over again. So, still a vampire movie, Luke!) movie with a handsome leading man with uncomplicated, classic story... It all screamed ME!
Don't judge me, we all have some sort of attraction to different kinds of fictional beasts/monsters and mine just happened to be vampires (werewolves definitely do not rock my boat!)-but i am kinda picky in my vampire stories, i do not like the complicated ones like The Vampire Diaries with so many twists and turns (or i just don't like series, period) or with too many other creatures crowding in the story, but i always ended up obsessed with most of vampire movies.
Don't judge me, we all have some sort of attraction to different kinds of fictional beasts/monsters and mine just happened to be vampires (werewolves definitely do not rock my boat!)-but i am kinda picky in my vampire stories, i do not like the complicated ones like The Vampire Diaries with so many twists and turns (or i just don't like series, period) or with too many other creatures crowding in the story, but i always ended up obsessed with most of vampire movies.
It started when i was very young and watched Bram Stoker's Dracula (yeah, i was 9, i believe it was rated for maturer audience, whatevs) and immediately attracted to the mysterious charms of the blood sucking creature (even though i didn't and still don't find Gary Oldman attractive :p) then i got a bit older and watched Interview with the Vampire (Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt and the-then-still-handsome Christian Slater in one movie? Count me in!)-which was also way too adult for me back then *LOL* but i guess the presence of little Kirsten Dunst (who's only a year older than me) made it a little more acceptable (no, it isn't)? and i was hooked!
I didn't find any other vampire movies that made me obsessed like those previous two, until Twilight of course, and i didn't expect there would be another one that i would like ever again (because the new vampire movies became so hip and strange, too modern for my liking. I have a vintage taste in certain aspects) but then come Dracula Untold.
So, i have to be honest-it's not the story per se that i am obsessing with...
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| But rather the chiseled leading man, Mr. Luke Evans |
We all know where this is heading, it's going to be more of a "Gushing about Luke Evans" post rather than a proper review of the movie itself, but i'll try to stay focused for another 10 minutes to give you a synopsis and a little opinion on the movie hahaha.
Vlad Tepes is Prince of a little kingdom, ruling peacefully with his wife and son, but he has a dark past when his father gave him up to the Turks as an exchange for the kingdom's freedom to serve the Turk as an army since he was little. He was such a skillful and deadly soldier that the myth about him sounds more like a horror story, he was better known as Vlad the Impaler.
One day with the Turks army sets to invade the whole Europe, the Sultan asked for a thousand boys for his janissaries, including Vlad's little boy-or they would declare war and attack Vlad's kingdom. He was faced with an impossible choice, between his people and his family (which he loved more than anything). Desperate, he went to seek the monster at the top of Broken Tooth's mountain in hope to gain his power to face the Turks.
It's not a spoiler, just by reading the title we all know that the monster is a vampire and yeah-Vlad turned into one, with a twist.
So that's the synopsis, pretty straight forward and uncomplicated. I don't find it anything like the other vampire movies i loved because i truly think that is not the goal, this is more of an action fantasy kind of movie (think more of Underworld than Twilight, i'd say. A lot more action and less cheesy talk hahaha). And this is a movie that you'd either like or hate, only rated 6 in IMDb, but i really enjoyed it and would rate it 8 myself (no, not 10 hahaha).
You know i like vampires, so i am familiar with most of the "rules" of being a vampire (although it doesn't help that one writer's rules are so different than the others, Stephanie Meyer's in particular!), but the ones in this movie is pretty basic : can't stand sun (no, they would explode, not sparkle for sure), offended by crosses, burnt by silver and one more : can turn into bats.
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| For a GCI-hillbilly like me, i find the bat scenes to be quite cool rather than silly in this movie though! |
This movie also combined some historical facts (i will not dwelve into how accurate/inaccurate they are, i noticed some people got really fired up with the wrong ones and took it personally. I am not very familiar with the history so i won't even attempt to pretend that i know anything. I heard about Vlad the Impaler before, but that's about it) and Vlad Tepes once really lived, but my suggestion is forget all about it because there's probably 2% of history and 98% fiction.
A lot of people also got upset about the "heroism" portrayal of Vlad Tepes in this movie (when in history he is known as a man with impossible cruelty, a real monster that even the vampire Vlad in this movie is far from being) so really, know that this is a very romanticized fiction that's very very loosely based on Vlad the person and if you can accept that (and not get offended by it) then you can go and watch it, otherwise don't. I personally go to movies to be entertained by it, not to get upset by.
I find the story itself to be not too special, but the action sequence, the CGI, the costume and all of the other aspects in the movie to overcome the simple storyline (this is an action fantasy movie, don't expect too deep of a storyline lah) and made the 92 minutes fly so fast i was actually disappointed when it ended. But one of the strongest aspect in my opinion.
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| Is in the acting |
Luke Evans was a stage performer for 9 years before starting his Hollywood career, and he's always so intense and got into characters in whatever movies he's in (he's also very believable as a villain in Fast and Furious 6, he definitely gave the best performance out of all of the other actors in the movie IMO) so i guess it shouldn't come as a surprise that he gave his all in his first blockbuster movie as a leading man (coz he's obviously was in a few others including The Hobbit, just not as a leading man).
Sarah Gadon that plays Mirena, his wife, also gave a pretty stellar performance-you know how some Princesses in action fantasy would appear as weak and always needs saving? Mirena is strong and passionate, and Sarah Gadon did a pretty good job portraying her (and she looks so pretty in her costumes). The chemistry between Luke and Sarah is also zzzzzzzzzzzzzizzzlinggg HOT, so HOT that i find it hard to believe that Luke is not attracted to women *___*.
So, that's it. I would say this is not an epic vampire movie that will be remembered in the history of modern motion pictures (like Bram Stroker's Dracula, Interview with Vampire and as much as some of you want to resists-Twilight), it's not even a proper horror movie at all (then again so was Twilight hahahaha), but it is a sexy (okay, if you like your leading man gruff and masculine. Who says gay people are not masculine? Some of them are the most masculine people out there! Get your homophobic brain out of the gutter, please!), exciting, intense and entertaining movie. If you love fantasy, action and not too bothered by the historical loopholes, you must watch this movie!
Can i start gushing about Luke Evans yet?
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| OMG, imma go get myself a bucket to drool on first! |
I always found Luke Evans to be impossibly attractive ever since i saw him for the very first time in The Three Musketeers (with his stupid mustache and all). I still find him mildly attractive even when he's wearing very ridiculous outfits to play Zeus in The Immortals (most other movies put older actors like Liam Nelson as Zeus, but i cannot imagine those aging actors wearing Luke Evan's half-naked Zeus outfits >.<!!), even sexier as a cruel badass in Fast and Furious and now-the sexiest Vampire ever : Dracula!
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| Two things that i hate in a man's appearance : facial hair and long hair but i find incredibly sexy for Mr. Evans! |
Yes yes, i heard that he is gay (or bi. I hope he's bi. I dunno why, why does it matter anyway? Someone's sexuality is nobody's business. But as a fangirl i think my hope is quite justified. Isn't it one of the main pull of fangirling? To have the right to imagine we have a slight chance *ROFL* to be with them? In our minds, of course. If he's bi then at least he can be attracted to women, that's why LOL), but really. He's damn beautiful, i couldn't careless if he's as gay as Boy George (unless he starts dressing like Boy George, that is) it would not stop me from drooling over his perfection.
I know he looks much older than his (claimed) age, some cruel people even compared him to Orlando Bloom who looks much younger than him even though they're only 2 years apart, but i really find even his wrinkles super sexy (OMG, i need a slap now. Or a cold shower) and like he put it himself "As an actor, i find it essential to have expressions. To be able to move my eyebrow. I think wrinkles only add to the character".
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| Look at him! No wonder he plays two Greek gods in a span of a few very short years! |
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| You know i like well built man, i can't resist posting this pic teehee! |
Sigh, although as a fangirl i still find it super hard to accept that such a gruff, masculine (even with his demeanor in his interviews), manly guy to be gay *sadsies*. Ohhh, the pain of fangirling *LOL*.
Oh anyway! I love Luke Evans and excited to see how his career gets bigger and bigger! He's a great actor (IMO, keep your opinions to yourself if you disagree, haha) and i'm looking forward to see more of him in the cinemas in the future.
In the meantime, anyone wants to accompany me watch Dracula Untold on the cinema again?
Drooling #Pink
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