Renfield

Scott Hardie: “It was ok.”

This movie felt like it was made by committee. It can't decide whether its genre should be comedy or horror or action. It can't decide whether to go ultra-gory or to make the blood look fake with CGI. It can't even decide whether its hero is old-fashioned or modern in his sensibilities. It would have benefited from having a single consistent vision from start to finish, especially if the film had focused on its comedy, because that's the part that works best. It has some funny lines and ideas, such as a vampire's familiar joining a support group for co-dependent personalities, but these only bubble up to the surface occasionally; they're too drowned out by the terribly generic crime thriller that some Universal executive demanded. I'll give it points for another of Nic Cage's dementedly committed performances and some especially good makeup on him in the first act as his body transforms in stages, but pick any random episode of What We Do in the Shadows and you'll get more and better vampire jokes.

− September 17, 2023 • more by Scott • log in or register to reply