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Renfield

Opening Date
13 Apr 2023
Rating
To Be Advised
Runtime
-
Language
English with Chinese subtitles
Genre
Comedy, Horror
Director
Chris McKay
Cast
Nicolas Cage, Nicholas Hoult, Awkwafina, Ben Schwartz, Adrian Martinez, Ahmed Zakzouk, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Bess Rous, Brandon Scott Jones
Synopsis
Evil doesn’t span eternity without a little help. 
 
In this modern monster tale of Dracula’s loyal servant, Nicholas Hoult (Mad Max: Fury Road, X-Men franchise) stars as Renfield, the tortured aide to history’s most narcissistic boss, Dracula (Oscar® winner Nicolas Cage).  Renfield is forced to procure his master’s prey and do his every bidding, no matter how debased. But now, after centuries of servitude, Renfield is ready to see if there’s a life outside the shadow of The Prince of Darkness.  If only he can figure out how to end his codependency.
 
Renfield is directed by Chris McKay (The Tomorrow War, The LEGO Batman Movie) from a screenplay by Ryan Ridley (Ghosted series, Rick & Morty series), based on an original idea by The Walking Dead and Invincible creator Robert Kirkman.
 
The film co-stars Awkwafina (The Farewell, Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of Ten Rings), Ben Schwartz (Sonic, The Afterparty) and Adrian Martinez (The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Focus). 
 
Renfield is produced by Skybound Entertainment partners Robert Kirkman and David Alpert (The Walking Dead, Invincible), co-presidents Bryan Furst (Daybreakers) and Sean Furst (Daybreakers) and by Chris McKay. McKay’s producing partner Samantha Nisenboim (co-producer, The Tomorrow War) will executive produce.
Reviews
By InCinemas  13 Apr 2023
A campy, gory mess.
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Renfield is not your typical Dracula film because it isn’t about Dracula. It’s about Dracula’s timid submissive servant (a.k.a “familiar”), played to a tee by Nicholas Hoult.

The film, directed by The LEGO Batman Movie’s Chris McKay, also stars Nicolas Cage, Awkwafina, Ben Schwartz, and Shohreh Aghdashloo.

In the early 20th century, Transylvanian vampire Count Dracula (an unhinged Cage) met English lawyer R. M. Renfield (Hoult), who was hoping to broker a deal for some land but ended up becoming Dracula's familiar.

For decades, Renfield has relied on supernatural powers that are initiated by eating bugs. Despite his efforts of pleasing his boss, Dracula still chastises and belittles him. After an incident where he saves lives rather than take them, an emboldened Renfield decides to leave Dracula and make a better life for himself.

Hoult, adding yet another softboy role to his growing filmography, aces as the submissive titular character but life seems to imitate art here as his work on the film (despite playing the lead) is far inferior to Cage’s. It was a double-edged stake casting Nicolas Cage as Dracula. The main purpose of the film was to put focus on the Dark One’s familiar but Cage was too much of a delight as Renfield’s boss, stealing every scene he’s in and rightfully so. 

Renfield promises a bloody fun time and that is exactly what we get though it doesn’t always stick the landing. While we may understand its campiness and schtick for not taking itself too seriously, that unfortunately sabotages some actual serious moments from shining through. There’s humour and gore aplenty that overshadows the underlying trauma of workplace/relationship hostility and toxicity but those all-too-familiar with it are more likely to whimper and cry inwardly than guffaw out loud at the comical way the blood splatters. It’s a mess but hey, at least it’s entertaining?
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