RENFIELD (2023) – Nicolas Cage kills it as the Count
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
I grew up watching lots of horror movies with those Dracula movies with Christopher Lee being my favourite. That probably has something to do with my present attraction to any movies that has vampires and better yet, Dracula in its theme. Renfield is the latest film that features Dracula in its plot although it is more a comedy than a horror movie. I tend to avoid horror comedies as I find that they two genres don’t usually mix well together. But Renfield has a trump card that made it a must watch. It has Nicolas Cage as Dracula which makes it something of a departure for Cage despite his already wide range of bizarre roles.
Nicholas Hoult plays the title role of Renfield, the long-suffering servant to the dark lord. His eternal misery was set in motion hundreds of years ago. This backstory is cleverly depicted in a black and white montage reminiscent of and in tribute to the old classic black and white Dracula movies of the past. We are quickly brought to the present where Renfield tries to find solace to his faith from a support group for people with toxic relationships. He gets inspiration to finally try and make a change and break free from his bond with his master, to the ire of Dracula.
Nicholas Hoult’s exploits in the movie are depicted with bursts of exaggerated violence and his character even gets to have a romantic connection with an unusually honest and plucky cop played by the delightful Awkwafina. While these were sufficiently entertaining, the real treats were the scenes where Nicolas Cage appears in. His interpretation of Dracula is deadly fabulous and I dare say were the film’s highlights. He looked frightful and menacing but yet, conveys a silent humor that is simply hilarious to watch. The film makers made a vital mistake here by making the film about Renfield where they should have placed Dracula as the main focus. There was simply not enough screen time allocated to Nicolas Cage and I have to say I felt a little short changed.
Nevertheless, Renfield still manages to come across as a decent entry in the horror comedy genre and I would still highly recommend it simply for the opportunity to watch a classic Nicolas Cage performance.