There could have been so much more to "Renfield" than what you get in the end. Those who watch the film solely to see Nicolas Cage as Dracula will undoubtedly get their money's worth. Cage plays the character exactly as one could have hoped, even if he could have had a bit more screen time. Nicholas Hoult and Awkwafina also do a solid job, although the latter was probably not the right choice for her role.
Entertaining is the level of violence, which is appropriately splattery, but there is one big caveat: the blood effects rely 100% on CGI, so it ends up looking bloodless. I don't have a problem at all with exploding heads not being realized with practical effects. But if CGI blood is splattered all over the place, why do all the characters' clothes look like they've been freshly cleaned? That's what kept pulling me out.
I was also negative about all the other characters aside from the three mentioned so far. Ben Schwartz is not convincing as the villain, and the rest of the characters remain flat. And the script is also more functional than good. All in all, "Renfield" is still solid but also pretty forgettable. And I find that quite a pity in view of my expectations.
Review by ToralfVIP 3BlockedParent2023-08-16T06:35:20Z
There could have been so much more to "Renfield" than what you get in the end. Those who watch the film solely to see Nicolas Cage as Dracula will undoubtedly get their money's worth. Cage plays the character exactly as one could have hoped, even if he could have had a bit more screen time. Nicholas Hoult and Awkwafina also do a solid job, although the latter was probably not the right choice for her role.
Entertaining is the level of violence, which is appropriately splattery, but there is one big caveat: the blood effects rely 100% on CGI, so it ends up looking bloodless. I don't have a problem at all with exploding heads not being realized with practical effects. But if CGI blood is splattered all over the place, why do all the characters' clothes look like they've been freshly cleaned? That's what kept pulling me out.
I was also negative about all the other characters aside from the three mentioned so far. Ben Schwartz is not convincing as the villain, and the rest of the characters remain flat. And the script is also more functional than good. All in all, "Renfield" is still solid but also pretty forgettable. And I find that quite a pity in view of my expectations.