Director Chris McKay teams up with Mr. Nouveau Shamanic for his fourth film in Renfield from Universal Pictures. Ryan Ridley and Robert Kirkman collaborated on the film's screenplay. Nicholas Hoult is the latest actor to portray The fictional character who first appears in Bram Stoker's 1897 Gothic horror novel Dracula. As a bit of background information, Renfield is the deranged, fanatically devoted servant and familiar of Count Dracula who is helping him in his plan to convert Mina Harker into a vampire in exchange for a constant supply of insects to consume and the promise of immortality as a reward.
Renfield and Dracula (Nicholas Cage) have survived centuries together, but vampire hunters have tracked and nearly destroyed them, forcing both into hiding in New Orleans so that Dracula can heal. Finding fresh victims to feed Dracula has been assigned to Renfield. But Renfield is becoming more conscientious, especially when he meets and saves a policewoman named Rebecca Quincy (Awkwafina) .
Hoping to find peace, Renfield joins a Co-Dependency support group to deal with his conflicted feelings regarding serving the Count. At the same time, he realizes that he can target the abusers of his fellow therapy mates and keep a blood supply going for his boss.
Renfield is an exciting look at the everyday struggles of toxic relationships in a funny and relatable way. We follow our main protagonist as he embarks on a journey to self-discovery, determined to break free from being controlled by Dracula. Nicholas Hoult continues to demonstrate his versatility with this adult role, while Awkwafina impresses Rebecca Quincy, a vigilante police officer who will rest when the city is returned to order. Awkwafina can deliver a punch line as fast as she can draw a weapon. There's also Ben Schwartz as a delightful secondary antagonist. Hopefully, this will lead to Schwartz playing more villains. He would own the role of Boris Korpse in the MCU.
Nicolas Cage achieves one of his longtime wishes of playing Count Dracula! He imbues the role with a unique eccentricity, looking much like Bela Lugosi yet bringing Lon Chaney's London After Midnight to mind. Mr. Cage is having a blast playing a vampire, more so than his turn in 1988's Vampire's Kiss. The flashbacks at the film's beginning featuring clips from Tod Browning's version with Cage and Hoult are also creative. We're transported directly into the 1931 Béla Lugosi movie, with each scene recreated precisely.
Although there may be moments that don't work for everyone, like wondering what exactly Renfield's powers are or if Dracula's blood truly can cure anything. There will likely be some answers in those deleted scenes. Nevertheless, we all love seeing Cage take on this iconic role and bring his distinct flavor of excitement to it.
The run time is just right for Renfield, and the script will keep you laughing and highly entertained. The action sequences are incredibly captivating, especially if you're a fan of all the splatter-filled thrills that come with B series movies. This movie truly packs all the fun anyone who enjoys this particular genre could want.
Final Grade: B
Renfield opens in theaters tomorrow
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