I knew, upon seeing a movie trailer with Nicolas Cage as Dracula, I was absolutely going to be seeing this movie in theaters. Throw in Nicholas Holt as his familiar and Awkwafina. Sold!
As different versions of the trailer were released, my excitement only grew.
When the time arrived, we headed to our local Alamo Drafthouse to see the Comedy Horror, Renfield.
What to Expect
This is an over the top, gory, hilarious depiction of Dracula and his right hand man. His right hand man who desperately wants to no longer work for him. This, like Cocaine Bear (2023) which I reviewed here, is not to be taken as any kind of a serious movie. We get group therapy, bodies piling into a heaping mountain, hilariously delivered gore, and a Nicolas Cage who simply is living his best life portraying the classic villain.
Why We Loved It
Besides the obvious, stated directly above, this was just a fun film. I don’t think there was anyone in the theater not busting a gut every other minute.
Nicolas Cage/Dracula
I know a lot of people anymore see Nic Cage in any movie he plays, not necessarily the character he’s trying to portray. They just always come off as…well, just him playing a role, versus a role being played by him. Now, his costume (mostly the teeth) does set this character apart a bit. However, there was a certain loveliness to him playing the villainous blood-sucker. He looked like a big kid having a blast to be honest. And that just made certain scenes even more wonderful.
Awkwafina/Rebecca
Now, I may be biased because I’ve been an Awkwafina fan for a while, but her delivery in this film is stellar! I was finding her quips and smart-ass responses not only hilarious but relatable a lot. Unfortunately, one of the lines I saw in a trailer was not in the final cut of the film, so that was a bit disappointing. But as a whole, she was a big part of the film, and her and Renfield (Nicholas Hoult) made a great duo on screen.
Absurd Gore
This, this right here. This was what made this movie truly spectacular for me. The fights and violence were so over the top. I know I said something similar in my Cocaine Bear review, however that movie still obeyed most of the laws of physics.
Renfield did not.
I mean it’s a movie about a vampire. The fantasy aspect allows for many liberties.
Now, I won’t go into detail. Spoiler free and all that. However, I will say that I feel like these guys watched some Mortal Kombat or something when writing the fight scenes.
It was jaw-dropping, hilarious, and brilliant.
In Conclusion
If you’re a Dracula fan. I recommend this film. If you’re a Nic Cage fan, I would highly recommend you see this film. As long as you are a grown adult and not squeamish, I recommend you see this movie!! You will laugh, a lot. And overall, the story is a good one. It’s not groundbreaking, but it leaves you smiling and feeling good at how things end.
Give it a shot, and I dare you not to laugh.
I gave Renfield
Until Next Time,
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