Dracula Untold (Gary Shore)

[TGM]

DRACULA UNTOLD

Director: Gary Shore

imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0829150/?ref_=nv_sr_1)

http://www.syfantasy.fr/images/news/crop2_dracula_untold2.jpg

[number8]

So what's the thing that connects it to the Universal monster universe? End credits tag? A mention of gypsy curses? A roll of bandages in the background of a shot?

[TGM]

I wasn't aware that this was supposed to connect to that universe. If there's a reference doing so, I sure as hell missed it.

[number8]

It was a late reshoot addition that was supposed to be quite subtle in case the movie bombs and they want to exclude it from the shared universe.

[Spun Lepton]

Ugh, GOD, is this gonna be some kinda sad attempt to reclaim the Universal monsters? This should be a hoot.

Wolfman Unleashed
Mummy Unwrapped
Frankenstein Unfriended

[Wryan]

This is such a conflict. It's not very good, first, but damn does it admirably take its time with the characters rather than throw disparate shit at you in action scenes (all of which you saw in the trailers, literally). You get the sense that they really wanted it to work rather than just move. It's a pity that the character-building doesn't add up to much, probably due to the writing, as the actors are trying here. Charles Dance adds his oily gravitas and elevates his few scenes, and the hammy ending in modern day, with a stranger (named Mina, natch) who looks awwwwwfully like his centuries-dead wife isn't too interesting and doesn't really make me want to see a continuation. Also, too many bats.

I didn't see anything that would connect this to Universal's stable, unless it's in the spoiler above. It feels more like a prequel to Coppola's Vlad/world, but without the brooding opulence and style. If there was a credits sequence, I didn't stay to find out. EDIT: Oh there is a dude who functions like a Renfield of sorts. Maybe him? Ehh, it's a stretch.

[Dead & Messed Up]

I think the coda set in present time is meant to insinuate that a contemporary setting will be where all the monsters end up.

If they continue with this film.

Which they kinda could, because, like Wryan says, this film goes to the trouble of trying to be a good movie, mostly in how it reworks the development of Vlad into Dracula as a series of impossible choices. Give over a son or see your people die. Fight honorably and lose or become a vampire and win. Drink blood and become a monster permanently or don't and possibly lose your ability to save your family. And it commits to the tragedy of the story, even if it feels muted. Not to the point that I felt emotion, but to the point where I respected that the flick gave it a go.

The bummer is that the characters almost never feel truly alive. There's a monotony to the tone of performance, even to the villains, who don't get any degree of good humor or true evil. And this was a film that did not need big battles (it knows this, as it cuts away from one night-set large battle to focus on the heroes and never shows us if that battle was won or not, but we guess it was, because we see survivors in later scenes).

It's not a bad film, but it's in that sucky position of disappointing the viewer with glimmers of the great film it could've been.

[Dukefrukem]

It's not a bad film, but it's in that sucky position of disappointing the viewer with glimmers of the great film it could've been.

That's about right. I'd like to see Universal continue with this monster universe. A present day monster movie, with all of them teamed up, will bring me back to my Monster Squad days. I'd love that.

Has there been any official plans laid out for this universe yet? I'm guessing they're considering this this a success with $215 WW.