Directed by: Chris McKay
Starring: Nicholas Hoult, Nicolas Cage, Awkwafina, Ben Schwartz, Brandon Scott-Jones, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Camille Chen
Those who pay to see Nicolas Cage sink his teeth into Dracula with heedless glee as he rolls his R's and promises to suck your blood will be satisfied with Renfield, which is otherwise a dull horror comedy with Dracula's overworked, unhappy servant as the main character. Robert Montague Renfield (Hoult) is first seen in a co-dependency self-help group with a "Hello, my name is Renfield" sticker on his shirt. He provides a synopsis of his servitude to Count Dracula, which began nearly a century ago and is seen in black and white flashbacks which summon the memory of the classic Dracula films.
Renfield was at first a real estate broker looking to make a killing on the sale of Dracula's castle but was soon sucked into (pun kind of, sort of intended) a dreary life of serving up his master with fresh bodies and tending to his other needs of which there are many. Now, Renfield has grown weary of Dracula and wants out, but he'll find his boss is not willing to let him go. Renfield isn't exactly powerless. He eats insects, which provides him superpowers and supreme fighting skills. Yet, he quivers towards Dracula.
A movie about this unusual relationship might have been intriguing. But, Renfield bogs down with another subplot about drug dealers and an honest cop (Awkwafina) who wants revenge for her father's death at the hands of said dealers and enlists Renfield's help after he saves her from an ambush. The fight scenes involve oodles of gore, buckets of blood, bodies exploding, and last slightly shorter than John Wick taking on a city full of assassins. Even with all of this activity, Renfield clocks in at just over 93 minutes and thank goodness for small favors.
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