But when the demands of the Turks become unreasonable, and all-out warfare seems unavoidable, Dracula is forced into making a terrible pact with a vampire. The deal is simple: Dracula will receive the creature’s extraordinary powers to help defeat his enemies, and will return to normal in three days, as long as he can resist the urge to drink human blood. This is where the film heads off into more familiar and fantastical territory.
It’s a neat set-up, but you know immediately how it's going to play out. The underlying structure is lifted wholesale from a superhero origin story: Dracula learns how to use his abilities, overcomes minor obstacles, experiences setbacks, all before a final showdown which pushes him to the limit.
That said, there’s a decent amount of fun watching it all unfold. Evans is comfortable in the role, relishing his newfound powers, and there are several entertaining, well-orchestrated set-pieces throughout. The definite highlight is the first time he unleashes his abilities upon a 10,000-strong army. The blend of the Gothic and action is visually appealing, and there’s a general lavishness to the production – yes, there's lots of CGI, but there's an impressive array of swords and castles, shields and banners, and some lovely tapestries, too.But all this good work is undone by impatient storytelling. The film can’t wait to reach the action, and once Dracula gains his powers it never lets up. If you’re just after a light-hearted romp, Dracula Untold more than meets expectations, but there’s not nearly enough time spent establishing its character and exploring the potential of the premise. We get some sense of Dracula as a doting father and loving husband, but it’s all front-loaded and rushed.
Ultimately, it’s the world-building which suffers the most. Charles Dance’s arch-vampire, who sires Dracula, expounds some mythology, but again it feels hurried. Consequently, you’re never really sure which vampire rules are in play. It appears vampires can go out in the day, providing they keep to the shade or if it’s overcast. It’s never very clear. What if they have an umbrella? Will that work?
That sounds petty, but films like this need that kind of rationale to really work. It’s more frustrating than anything, since the central conceit is intriguing. Sometimes the world doesn’t need heroes; it needs monsters. Those creatures who are willing to do what better men won’t. In this sense, Dracula was already a monster as a mortal warrior, as Vlad the Impaler; the supernatural abilities simply amplify this side of his character. It’s a great premise, but the moral ambiguity is never explored to its fullest. Evans’s Dracula never feels like anything but a hero.That's not to say there isn't a darkness to the film – the impaling and effects of sunlight on vampires are quite effective – and Charles Dance's character is the closest the film gets to traditional horror. He’s on great form, chewing the scenery in addition to Evans’s neck. His character design is particularly disgusting. Forget Dominic Cooper’s forgettable turn as Mehmed, the leader of the Turks, Dance is the film’s really antagonist.
And there are definite shades of Tywin, too; his character is a schemer, a manipulator of men, and while he’s brilliant in that role, it leads to one of Dracula Untold’s other major downfalls. There’s a strong feeling that a lot of machinery is being set-up for potential sequels and spin-offs in the Monsters universe, rather than directly serving the film itself. And because you’re not privy the bigger plan, like when Nick Fury first teased The Avengers initiative, there’s a feeling of incompleteness, rather than excitement and anticipation.