Movie review: ‘Renfield’ matches Nicolas Cage intensity with satire, gore – UPI.com

Nicolas Cage performs Dracula in “Renfield.” Picture courtesy of Common Footage

Renfield and Dracula have relocated to New Orleans within the current, an apt location given what number of Cage films make that metropolis their port of name. Dracula wants extra blood to get better from his encounter with the final indignant mob, whereas Renfield finds a help group for codependents.

Dracula was all the time an enormous tease, promising Renfield his energy however actually simply dangling the carrot in entrance of Renfield to make him do Dracula’s soiled work. Extending that relationship for 100 years does make it codependent.

Dracula’s neglect of Renfield is blatant, however the movie joins Dracula within the dysfunction. In a single scene, the digital camera even rapidly adjusts to acknowledge Renfield as he is been an afterthought.

The movie has as a lot enjoyable with the connection film method because it does with the horror style. Renfield will get his personal makeover montage and it’s appropriately goofy.

As the principle attraction, Cage’s portrayal of Dracula doesn’t disappoint. Cage brings rock n’ roll touches to his physicality whereas honoring the classical legacy.

Cage wears prosthetic make-up in Dracula’s worse states. Cage is ready to get his maniacal expressions by all of the prosthetics.

However, Cage additionally activates the menace. This Dracula shouldn’t be a buffoon.

He is nonetheless as harmful because the Dracula tailored from Bram Stoker, albeit much more graphic than 1931 movies may painting. Dracula has a physique rely in Renfield.

The place many comedies coast on a single premise, Renfield escalates in a short time. Along with the codependency theme, Renfield additionally interrupts successful by native mobster Tedward Lobo (Ben Schwartz).

Witnessing Renfield’s means to take out Lobo’s hitman, Lobo runs screaming to Officer Rebecca Quinn (Awkwafina). Lobo continues to be linked sufficient to get out of jail, and Rebecca has been pursuing the Lobos her complete profession as a result of they killed her officer father.

Meaning Lobo sending much more hitmen after Renfield and Rebecca. Renfield employs a well-known Hollywood combating fashion, however with wirework comically exaggerated past The Matrix and with the absurd gore of an ’80s slasher film.

The brisk tempo amplifies the comedy as a result of actual psychological progress can take as much as 90 years, not 90 minutes. But, in that point, Renfield additionally units up all of the mythology that shall be pertinent to the story, and it contains a number of vampire lore that each one pays off.

That tempo additionally forgives any oversimplification in its brevity. The movie actually solely touches on psychology buzzwords however it works properly sufficient to satirize Dracula and codependency.

Rebecca has a sister (Camille Chen) within the FBI. Their variations regardless of shared grief aren’t actually developed.

Vampirism has been used as a metaphor all through storytelling, from Stoker’s options of blood sucking as illness and dependancy to Buffy, the Vampire Slayer‘s depictions of the monstrosity of highschool.

Renfield updates the metaphor with the fashionable language used to debate poisonous relationships. The metaphor is poignant, however extra importantly a enjoyable, violent romp with the final word macabre showman.

Fred Topel, who attended movie college at Ithaca School, is a UPI leisure author primarily based in Los Angeles. He has been an expert movie critic since 1999, a Rotten Tomatoes critic since 2001 a member of the Tv Critics Affiliation since 2012 and the Critics Alternative Affiliation since 2023. Learn extra of his work in Leisure.