Renfield movie review

In the early 20th century, Transylvanian vampire Count Dracula (Nicolas Cage) meets English lawyer RM Renfield (Nicholas Hoult). Renfield hopes to broker a deal for a small estate, and after proving to be a useful assistant, he becomes his colleague. Now, he can be immortal and have superior strength by eating insects.

The plot of the movie Renfield

The gory scenes evoke ancient splendor of Dracula, and the villainy of the two is blunted by skits that make the movie comic. This was the intention of director Chris Mc Kay, who in this way offers a different reading of the story created by Bram Stocker in 1897.

The story proceeds predictably, and Renfield-after 90 years-is tired of bringing victims to Dracula, as well as of his abuse. The two move to New Orleans, and here Renfield discovers a self-help group for people in co-dependent relationships: in order not to feel remorse for his actions, he plans to hunt down the group's abusive lovers so that he can kill them and offer them to Dracula to feast on.

The truculent comedy of the movie Renfield

The comic aplomb of the movie returns in the fight scenes, when Renfield fights some criminals from the rival Lobo family, and kills a man by punching his head off. The grand guignol aspect of the movie is also its strength, as it tones down decades-old portrayals of the vampire, making him human and beset by everyday problems. If humans dislike some food, Dracula dislikes the criminals Renfield has brought him as a dish, because he craves the blood of someone pure and innocent. And Renfield almost suffers a conditioning relationship towards him: in fact, he decides to build a life separate from his master, and moves into an apartment, changing his aggressive attitude into a helpful one. He also gives a statement to the police to help them try to stop the Lobos, but Dracula learns of Renfield's betrayal and slaughters the members of the support group in front of his former minion. 

The cast of the movie Renfield

Nicholas Hoult appears underwhelmed in this performance, as he is subdued by the action scenes that a comic horror provides: the script itself is based on an original idea by comic book artist Robert Kirkman, which amplifies the truculent scenes. Nichola Cage appears tired in a role that is secondary to the movie's title. Verve is provided by the set design, which recreates a pulp, hyper-colored world capable of making the violence less gruesome. This is probably due to the search for a young audience, which can approach the character without knowing the literary ancestry. This is why bloody fight scenes and massacres are piled on, which in a realistic movie about Dracula would seem out of context.  Director McKay himself directed an action movie like The Tomorrow War, whose fight scenes indulged the tastes of a young audience.

Audiences should therefore not expect a reinterpretation of Renfield and his relationship with Dracula, because in this case the movie's extravagance would be related to his clumsiness.