Renfield

Renfield is a stupid, gory, bloody, funny mess. Not a horror by any means, it still satisfied my appetite for a little Halloween fun. I can't stand Awkafina in general as I find her annoying overall, and she had no chemistry with the lead. Nicholas Cage, however, is perfectly cast and awesome to watch. The dialogue is well-written, and the plot is silly sunlight to keep you entertained. Who would have thought that Dracula and his like would face many of the same relationship issues that so many of us mere mortals do in everyday life. Prepare to be grossed out, but also prepare to have a good time. A good 90 minutes spent.

Cage was born for this role. He's not in the movie as much as I would've liked though. I was expecting him to go full Nic Cage mode here, but he takes a slightly different approach and it works pretty well.

The gore is amazing with some really spectacular dismemberments and blood effects. They're really fun to watch. Only issue I had with it is the CGI blood doesn't stain clothes, walls, and floors etc so it kinda gave an unfinished look.

Then there's Awkwafina. She can't act at all. Her line delivery is terrible. I have no idea why she keeps being cast in so many movies. She plays a cop but I didn't buy a second of it. If her role was switched with the woman that plays her sister the movie would been better.

I don't think anybody is going into Renfield thinking they're going to see an oscar winner. They're going in expecting a fun, comedic thriller about Dracula's servant, with an excellent Nicolas Cage performance. On that front Renfield delivers. The jokes are hilarious punches at the Dracula lore presented, the action is over the top and ridiculously bloody, and the story is servicable enough to satisfy. My only issue with the film is there are parts where the dialouge feels like it was written by a teenager and there are certain illogical plot holes that seemed to just be an issue as far as editing goes. If the filmmakers had just switched a few scenes around, they could've avoid that. They also show you a lot of the good scenes in the trailer, but there was still more fun to be had besides that stuff as well. Overall, an enjoyable experience that doesn't overstay it's welcome with a brisk 90 minute runtime. I would recommend this on Cage's performance alone, but the film also stood up on it's own as well.

3.5 victims out of 5.

Renfield is a lot of fun, a fast paced 90 minute horror comedy that's diversions from its core idea are still funny and never on screen long enough to derail it. Underneath all the unapologetically over the top gore is a really heartwarming story about understanding and appreciating your own self worth.

Nicholas Hoult cements his skills at comedy with another really funny performance and Renfield's lack of confidence and journey to find it is just really endearing. Awkwafina is obviously equally strong when it comes to comedy and this role also offers a few dramatic moments as well.

Ben Schwartz adds another funny supporting performance to his resume, having definitely made up for Sonic 2 now. The best performance and strongest aspect of the whole film is easily Nicolas Cage as Dracula. He brings the Cage elements you expect whilst still having an intimidating presence. Even though he gets enough screen time, more Dracula would've been appreciated.

Chris McKay's direction is really good, the film may lack an overall style but he makes sure the film is generally stylish with well implemented slow motion, energetic and well shot fight scenes and the odd montage. Also, this and 2020s The Invisible Man prove the Dark Universe being cancelled before it could get off the ground was the best thing as these films are way more unique and interesting.

Last year, Nick Cage starred in a major theatrically released movie for the first time in over a decade. It was the pleasant surprise, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. I love it. And I hoped it would be the movie to bring him back to prominence. (Not that he ever left ;)

So I was immediately excited to see a new Nick Cage movie, Renfield, in theaters. Not to mention I love vampires. And in many ways, this movie is exactly what I wanted. It's entertaining, over-the-top, and borderline outrageous. I laughed a bunch, both at the comedy and at the craziness/gore. There is one scene near the end that perfectly captures the absurd fun (at the apartment complex).

At the same time, those crazy and outrageous scenes make up a very small portion of this movie. And overall, it's not put together very well. The story doesn't feel smooth. Seems more... frantic. Same with the action. It's not bad, but it's a little... frantic. Same with the movie as a whole. I could tell as soon as it started. It's kind of... hectic.

I was still able to get a lot of enjoyment out of Renfield. Cage gives a great performance. Six stars is a positive score for me. I had a good time and I'll probably watch it again at some point. But for a theatrical Nick Cage vampire movie, I can't help but be a bit disappointed. I should have LOVED this.

On to the next. I was already watching most of his movies when they were low quality streaming movies. You better believe I'm watching all Cage theatrical movies. More crazy and weird stuff, please :)

(1 viewing, early screening 4/12/2023)