Renfield

Get ready, because there’s yet another new take on Dracula. However, there is no need to brace yourself, because “Renfield,” which came out in April, feels surprisingly fresh.

Nicholas Hoult is the tortured protagonist and loyal servant to the Count, played by Nicolas Cage, who’s taking it up a whole lot with his solo brand of disturbed joy. Andrea Thompson said in his review, “Renfield leans right into the campy, homoerotic side of things; instead of leaving the hapless lunatic gibbering in an asylum, this Dracula took Renfield into high society and even gave him a taste of his power and strength as his familiar.”

True, there are cons like any addiction, where it hurts both Renfield and the people around him, and forces him into a relationship that’s dangerous as it is codependent. Thompson noted, “It’s also wickedly funny, with Cage absolutely selling the gaslighting nature of Dracula’s insistence that Renfield is the true monster, and that the one who openly craves innocent blood and world domination is the true victim.”

Renfield has already begun wanting something different for himself by the time he meets and saves the life of a committed moralistic cop Rebecca, played by Awkwafina. Unfortunately, encountering each other means the Lobo crime family she wants to take down, headed by matriarch Bellafrancesca (Shohreh Aghdashloo) and son Tedward (a standout Ben Schwartz), also encounters Dracula, and it’s a true meeting of the villains.

Thompson mentions, “Action-hungry audiences can count on getting their fix long before the final showdown, with limbs flying in a fashion that owes much to Sam Raimi, along with plenty of salutes to Dracula’s onscreen history, which have been seamlessly digitally altered to include Hoult and Cage in a contribution that will likely stand the test of time even as it embodies our current moment. Let the laughs and the darkly comedic bloodshed flow, because there’s no shortage of either in Renfield.”

Seeing this movie was a treat. I admit this is not very good, but I had fun watching it. This was an enjoyable action comedy that I would suggest everyone check out. I think you will have a hilariously good time seeing this. This was supposed to be on Peacock, but I think I missed the time it was on there. However, it is available to stream currently on Amazon Prime, so check it out there.

Next week I will be ending “Halloween Month 2023” with a sequel to a franchise that I surprisingly got afraid of while watching. Sorry for the late posting. I was so tired after work that I kept taking naps.