Perfectly balancing the silent classic and Bram Stoker's influential novel, Robert Eggers brings a chilling beauty and ample horror in this modern remake that despite me seeing now 3 iterations of the same story I can safely say each was compelling and unique in their own way. Easily the coup de grace of the whole film is Eggert's directing and the superb cinematography that even makes this born and bred texan feel the chill in the midnight air, some may call it artsy, some may call it over the top, but you cannot deny the vision and mastery of it all. But don't let that statement lead you to believe it's just a visual feast with little else, case in point for the acting side of things Lily-Rose Depp could not have brought it harder to this role and in all the Nosferatu adaptations Ellen is truly the hero and alongside Willem Dafoe's Professor Eberhart are a formidable duo for the Count. Speaking of which Bill Skarsgård as Orlok showcases the true power and terror of the vampyre, and bonus brownie points for actually sticking to the Bram Stoker description of Dracula which only one other adaptation has achieved. Nicholas Hoult as Hutter does fine work and even what many would say are ancillary characters like with his friend Friedrich played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson no one feels unimportant and their stories are strong. Far far from filler in my estimation. They know when to hold onto a shot, how to transition, what the set designers and costumers add to the overall ambience is nothing short of award worthy to me, and the score while not entirely complex certainly adds to the tension wonderfully. With such an ecletic director each project is filled with passion and attention to detail so you're in for a ride no doubt! Though I find it funny that the one term that was intangibly sewn onto the word of mouth I was hearing about this film was "horny", and there isn't much in terms of nudity gratuitous or otherwise and indeed only scarce parts of sexual friction, to where I'm wondering if that's my overall asexual sensibilities rearing it's head or if people got swept away in the romantic overtones common to the vampire story to a high extreme here. I will admit I felt like a burden walking into the cinema on Christmas Day because while my disinterest and bordering disdain for the holiday still persists, the employees had better stuff to do. Yet I walked out pretty happy with the movie, it was easily the most packed screening room I've been in since Joker honestly, and what a fantastic way to end the whole year. I'll give it a solid 3 stars, 8.5/10, and I wish to thank all of you for another year of hearing my rambling and average at best reviews and come what may next year I'll see you later.
No comments:
Post a Comment