Summary
- Dracula Untold surprised audiences by finding success on Netflix despite its initial critical failure in 2014.
- The film offered a unique origin story for Dracula, blending historical details with fantastical elements.
- Despite the resurgence on Netflix, a sequel to Dracula Untold is unlikely due to middling box office and poor reviews.
Dracula Untold finding a second life on Netflix. While this might seem like a surprise, given its critical standing, there is an explanation for the film's new-found success.
Dracula Untold was an early example of Universal trying to bring the appeal of cinematic universes to some of their most iconic characters. As such, the movie goes right back to the beginning of Dracula's story. In 15th-century Transylvania, Prince Vlad Dracula wrestles with a moral dilemma. To save his son from the Ottomans, he makes a Faustian pact with an ancient vampire, gaining immense power but risking eternal damnation. Despite detailing previously unseen aspects of Dracula's story, the movie failed to resonate with critics. Its recent popularity is therefore surprising, but it could reveal a surprising trend.
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Dracula Untold Was Poorly Rated Upon Release In 2014
Panned for its unconventional take on the iconic villain's origin story, Dracula Untold surprised audiences by soaring into the platform's global streaming rankings. Within its first week in the Netflix charts, Dracula Untold amassed a staggering 10.3 million hours viewed, placing it at number three. This success, however, belies the fact that the film failed to impress most professional critics on release.
(Reviews) painted a picture of a formulaic, half-baked attempt at a backstory for Stoker’s villain.
At the time of its release, Dracula Untold grossed by a decent margin at the box office, but critics were decidedly underwhelmed. No-nonsense (but perhaps ungenerous) reviews included “achingly rote origin story,” (Empire) and “cheaper-by-the-dozen CG bats,” (The Guardian). This painted a picture of a formulaic, half-baked attempt at a backstory for Stoker’s villain. This being said, it was an ambitious approach that was tragically denied a sequel – if this explosive opening effectively imagined the introductory sequence to Coppola’s Bram Stoker’s Dracula as a whole movie, the rest of the series had real potential.
Everything That Dracula Untold Actually Got Right
Dracula Untold breathes life into historical details, offering a grounded launchpad for its fantastical elements. The film accurately portrays Vlad Tepes' (Luke Evans) role as Prince of Wallachia and Transylvania and the threat posed by the invading Sultan Mehmed II (Dominic Cooper). Even the origin of Vlad's title "Dracula," derived from the Order of the Dragon, is faithfully depicted. These details create a sense of historical authenticity that gradually bleeds into a dark fantasy realm. The hint at the Roman emperor Caligula (Charles Dance) as the first vampire adds a surprising twist, although tragically under-explored.
Vlad's swirling batnadoes are a silly yet captivating detail.
Despite its historical weight, Dracula Untold injects fantastical fun through its CGI. Vlad's swirling batnadoes are a silly yet captivating detail. The folkloric use of silver weapons is unusual, being absent even from Bram Stoker's novel. The antihero's development is interesting and is indebted to Coppola’s lore, which helped create a romantic and sympathetic villain. Its recent popularity could be due to the appeal of prequels to audiences seeking different interpretations of familiar characters. Instead of a predator stalking Victorian London, Untold tells a noble backstory, fit for a new generation that prefers a well-developed antihero to a cardboard cutout.
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Why Dracula Untold 2 Never Happened
While there has been no official explanation for why Dracula Untold 2 hasn't happened, it's likely that the first movie's middling box office, combined with poor reviews, persuaded Universal to go in a different direction. This theory is bolstered by the fact that, post-Dracula Untold, the studio pivoted, relaunching the universe with The Mummy starring Tom Cruise. This big-budget action horror promised a thrilling adventure with a modern twist. Unfortunately, the film's incoherent story and forgettable villains underwhelmed audiences and critics, derailing the proposed Dark Universe entirely.
Thanks to The Mummy's failure and Dracula Untold's unimpressive reputation, Universal's dream of a monster movie interconnected Dark Universe crumbled before it even took flight. It remains unconfirmed and unlikely Dracula Untold 2 will happen – with the movie's resurgence on Netflix not enough to overcome its poor critical reputation. The release of subsequent Universal vampire projects, like the Nicolas Cage vehicle, Renfield, suggests that the prospect of seeing a Dracula Untold sequel is more remote than ever.
Source: Empire, The Guardian
Dracula Untold
- Release Date
- October 1, 2014
- Runtime
- 92
- Director
- Gary Shore
Cast
Luke Evans
Sarah Gadon
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