Dracula Untold

Name: Dracula Untold
Genre: Action, Drama, Fantasy, Horror, War
Released: October 10, 2014
Duration: 92 min
Rating: 40
Cast: Dominic Cooper, Luke Evans, Samantha Barks, Sarah Gadon

2014

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Mixed or average reviews based on 30 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 443 Ratings

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6.4

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6.4	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 443 Ratings

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Dracula Untold

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Movie Details & Credits

Universal Pictures | Release Date: October 10, 2014 | PG-13

Starring: Dominic Cooper, Luke Evans, Samantha Barks, Sarah Gadon

Summary: Vampire mythology combines with the true history of Prince Vlad to tell the origin of Dracula.

Director: Gary Shore

Genre(s): Action, Drama, Fantasy, Horror, War

Rating: PG-13

Runtime: 92 min

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Critic Reviews

Gary Goldstein

Oct 9, 2014

As effective and fat-free as its sinewy star, Luke Evans, Dracula Untold proves an absorbing, swiftly comprehensive origin tale. Read full review

RogerEbert.com Simon Abrams

Oct 10, 2014

The good news barely outweighs the bad in Dracula Untold, a lightweight war-adventure that is ultimately stranger and more enticing when it remembers it's also a horror film. Read full review

The Playlist Drew Taylor

Oct 9, 2014

He's a romantic and a psychopath and creature of the night. Sadly, Dracula Untold, with its humorless aura and been-there-done-that feel, doesn't allow Evans to inhabit many of these aspects. Instead, Dracula Untold feels largely uninspired. Read full review

The Guardian Mike McCahill

Oct 2, 2014

It’s no-frills, B-movie modesty might have been winning, if it weren’t so dashed-off. Read full review

Ben Kenigsberg

Oct 9, 2014

Looking for plausibility in a movie called Dracula Untold is as pointless as looking for humor or personality in Mr. Evans’s dour performance. Read full review

Kyle Smith

Oct 9, 2014

The origins story Dracula Untold is Dracula unbold — unoriginal, unimaginative and utterly non-unprecedented. This Vlad the Impaler has all the edge of Vlasic the pickle. Read full review

Tom Huddleston

Oct 7, 2014

Drab, silly and mind-numbing, this Dracula is strictly for the suckers. Read full review

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User Reviews

ledaumas

Oct 10, 2014

If you like Dracula movies, this gives a nice entertaining twist on the Dracula, almost restoring his reputation as a person who had a reason to do bad things for a good reason. But the best thing about the movie is Luke Evans. He's got such a strong pretense! Almost handsome, but what'sIf you like Dracula movies, this gives a nice entertaining twist on the Dracula, almost restoring his reputation as a person who had a reason to do bad things for a good reason. But the best thing about the movie is Luke Evans. He's got such a strong pretense! Almost handsome, but what's more important is how strong he looks. Someone you would trust if he asked you to. If he is our first gay actor to make it as a leading man, it's because he's so manly looking and both men and women will love him. We shall see if this is the beginning of a leading man career for him. I've noticed him before, and he stands out in smaller roles. Zachary Quinto is the cerebral type, Luke Evans is sexy. He was also believable as to his extreme love for his wife. She was good too, but Luke is a standout!… Expand

25 of 37 users found this helpful2512

debrano

Feb 15, 2015

Terrifiic! Awesome! Done research on the historical personage of Vlad the Impaler & have of course read numerous vampire novels... wasn't jazzed about a hollywood movie trying to combine the two because they usually cannot do it well. I was entertained & excited. Luke Evans was amazing inTerrifiic! Awesome! Done research on the historical personage of Vlad the Impaler & have of course read numerous vampire novels... wasn't jazzed about a hollywood movie trying to combine the two because they usually cannot do it well. I was entertained & excited. Luke Evans was amazing in the Hobbit series and I was thrilled to see him starring in this. He gave a softer side (if there could be one) of the image of Vlad the man, a romantic husband & loving father and yet a ruthless leader when he needed to be.
A great, entertaining twist on on old tale.. very enjoyable....
And.. of course the critics ripped this movie apart. Which just goes to show the entire role of movie critics is outdated & needs to be abolished. This movie was not meant to be an oscar winner... it's not meant to change lives.... just entertain. Your hoity-toity, stuffed shirt, stick-up-the-butt reviews just ruin fun cinema for the rest of us. Get a real job.… Expand

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

kelela37clch

Oct 14, 2014

I enjoyed the movie immensely! The graphics (contrast between the light and dark, red and black) were stunning, music was crafted artfully with the scenes, and Luke Evans displayed an array of emotions, fierceness and artistic intensity with prowess! As far as I am concerned the movie didI enjoyed the movie immensely! The graphics (contrast between the light and dark, red and black) were stunning, music was crafted artfully with the scenes, and Luke Evans displayed an array of emotions, fierceness and artistic intensity with prowess! As far as I am concerned the movie did not disappoint; I walked away from the movie theater thoroughly entertained and looking forward to watching it again on DVD!… Expand

8 of 11 users found this helpful83

AGarcia732

Oct 17, 2014

I actually was always optimistic toward Dracula Untold. However, I had high expectations/hopes and they weren’t met. It seems to me like this "genre-mashup" had a hard time finding its voice: it's not a romance movie, it's not a horror movie, it's not a gory movie--it's more of a typicalI actually was always optimistic toward Dracula Untold. However, I had high expectations/hopes and they weren’t met. It seems to me like this "genre-mashup" had a hard time finding its voice: it's not a romance movie, it's not a horror movie, it's not a gory movie--it's more of a typical ancient war film with some romance, blood-sucking, and implied violence thrown in. If the movie were longer and had time to develop certain aspects of its atmosphere, then it probably would've been better. But the movie is too short and feels rushed. Dracula Untold starts out OK. But way too many plot-holes and inconsistencies make it a lot worse than it could’ve been.

In the beginning of the film, why didn’t Caligula (the so-called “master” vampire who gave Vlad his powers) kill Vlad when he first got the chance? Could a single silver sword truly hold back a vampire as supposedly strong as him? Did he sense that Vlad was a powerful warrior who he waited an “eternity” to find? Why did he want “a man of (his) strength to arrive”? When a group of Turks are sent to retrieve Vlad’s son, how come they make no mention of the 1,000 other boys they want as tribute to the Sultan (as soldiers for his army)? Since they asked Vlad for them first, why do they bring up his son first? How did ordinary bats manage to kill an entire battalion of soldiers? Sure, they were thrown and squished pretty badly (probably would’ve gotten injured), but how could ALL of them die? Did Dracula/Vlad empower the bats somehow? Why did the Turkish Sultan blindfold his soldiers? True, they cannot fear what they cannot see, but then how will they hold up against a sudden ambush and how will they fight? They should’ve at least taken off the blindfolds when they got close to Castle Dracula.

(%%SPOILER ALERT%% How did Vlad/Dracula’s wife, Mirena, survive a fall from a great height and then hit a rocky ground hard, long enough to tell him to suck her blood as a last dying request? At the end, with the final fight between the Turkish Sultan and Dracula, why didn’t Dracula teleport behind him earlier and kill him? Why didn’t he summon some bats? If, at the end of the film, Vlad/Dracula can manipulate the clouds, how come he didn’t “teleport” far away and THEN unleash the sun on the other vampires so he wouldn’t have to die, then be revived at the end of the movie? Why didn’t he use this to make his enemies unable to see well earlier? Also, why does Caligula say at the end of the movie “Let the games begin”? That particular statement doesn’t make sense. %%END OF MAJOR SPOILERS%%)

The film isn’t much like Bram Stoker’s Dracula, but I don’t mind that at all. I like this new take on his character as an anti-hero who has been through much loss. Luke Evans does a good job as protagonist Vlad the Impaler. Unfortunately, the rest of the characters aren’t developed much. The fight scenes look good, and the CGI is nice—but how are the scenes supposed to be any fun, when Dracula is too over-powered? The Sultan’s soldiers are little more than sitting ducks; it’s so easy for Vlad/Dracula to defeat them. Untold doesn’t feel like it has much stakes or suspense, as is the issue with most prequels and some origin stories (but this time it’s mostly due to Dracula being too O.P). I feel like too much was edited out of Dracula Untold when they tried to condense the film into a 90-minute running time. The movie should’ve been longer, because there was a lot that could’ve been developed and expanded upon. Mostly, the movie has too many plot-holes and inconsistencies, a too-fast pace, inadequate and sub-par plot/narrative, and lack of character development. The film is cool and fun at times, but it could definitely have some improvement. There’s too much unused potential for this movie, because I feel it could’ve been really good. If they make a sequel, they should get a new director. I agree with Rotten Tomatoes’ consensus—Dracula Untold is “neither awful enough to suck nor sharp enough to bite”. P.S, this film is meant to be the beginning of a “shared-movie universe” (like the Disney Marvel movies) for Universal. The second movie in this universe will be a reboot of The Mummy, scheduled for 2016.
Score: 7.4

I have reviewed 32 movies, including the 2014 films: The Maze Runner, The Expendables 3, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Guardians of the Galaxy, The Giver, Sharknado 2, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Transformers: Age of Extinction, Edge of Tomorrow, X-Men Days of Future Past, Godzilla, Blended, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Divergent, Transcendence, Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, Blended, The Lego Movie, and more. I also review TV shows, such as The Last Ship, Sleepy Hollow, Marvel's Agents of SHIELD, The 100, I Wanna Marry Harry, Crisis, Gang Related, and more. I also have reviewed the mobile game Minecraft Pocket Edition.… Expand

4 of 9 users found this helpful45

sammurphy66

Oct 10, 2014

Poorly acted, narratively subpar and too fast-paced, Dracula Untold has nothing to offer beyond its admittedly thrilling special effects and well executed action sequences.

4 of 11 users found this helpful47

TheHonestJack

Oct 22, 2014

With awkward cinematography, a non sensical plot, and a ridiculously inconsistent power scheme for Dracula, this reboot for the classic horror character is less an attempt to reintroduce this generation to Dracula as it is a chance for Universal to start their cinematic universe... AndWith awkward cinematography, a non sensical plot, and a ridiculously inconsistent power scheme for Dracula, this reboot for the classic horror character is less an attempt to reintroduce this generation to Dracula as it is a chance for Universal to start their cinematic universe... And doesn't do horribly as the latter. Collapse… Expand

5 of 8 users found this helpful53

Alper2003

Nov 14, 2014

This is the worst Dracula movie I've ever seen. Althought If we put the historical mistakes aside acting was terrible, story was unappealing, script was absurd. Vlad turns into Dracula for just saving his people and when he did that he tried to kill himself I mean come on this is not theThis is the worst Dracula movie I've ever seen. Althought If we put the historical mistakes aside acting was terrible, story was unappealing, script was absurd. Vlad turns into Dracula for just saving his people and when he did that he tried to kill himself I mean come on this is not the Dracula profile I know. What a nonsense even for a fiction movie. All in all just a huge waste of time for me.… Expand

1 of 16 users found this helpful115

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