They saw two Nicholases are better than one, I think? Either way, Renfield has two actors named Nicholas in starring roles. Nicholas Cage plays Count Dracula in typical Cage fashion and Nicholas Hoult plays Renfield, Count Dracula’s familiar who doesn’t want to be turned into a vampire instead he wants to be free from forever serving his vampire master.
Renfield screams 2 for $20 or 2 for $30 on Bluray sale and that is the usual studio polish overlook that it has, the poster looks like the cover of the packaging, and the trailers are very focused on getting the audience into the cinema. Where Renfield shines is overcoming the by-the-books studio film in key moments where other films in the past have failed.
Can you easily guess the plot of Renfield? Sure you can but director Chris McKay focuses on the fun, blood, and guts you have/see along the way. Renfield is for those searching for a laugh on purpose whilst watching an action film. Watching films like Taken is funny because of Liam Neeson and his seriousness and you just can’t help but laugh. The positive to take from Renfield is that you can laugh throughout and not feel completely bad about it in the end.
Blood and guts pour throughout the film, so if you’re squeamish then maybe Renfield isn’t for you, sorry. Nicholas Hoult and Awkwafina, who plays a local police officer trying to take down the local mafia, make a great action duo, and it’s great to see the two really let loose with the action scenes. It adds an extra element to each fight because you just don’t expect them to be destroying people that much.
The headline act, star of the show, and the reason bums are on seats is Nicholas Cage who puts in another Cage performance as Dracula. If you’re hoping for bat (pun intended) shit crazy over-the-top acting that works perfectly then this is yet another Nicholas Cage role for his highlight reel or that house in Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent.
Renfield at times is a by-the-books film and I’m curious to see how it would stand on second viewing. I can definitely say for sure that it was helped by an excited and laughing audience. Despite those negatives, Renfield is a fantastic take on the story of Dracula and Renfield. The cast are all performing their best and the set pieces, VFX, comedic moments, blood gushing brutal action scenes are all key parts of Renfield’s potential to be a cult hit. A film for you and a few mates to laugh and sink your teeth into…pun intended.
Score: 4/5 sets of bags of blood for the vampire master.