CREDIT: LUKE EVANS STARS AS VLAD THE IMPALER IN HOLLYWOOD'S LATEST HIT, DRACULA UNTOLD.0
UNIVERSAL PICTURES

Vlad the Impaler. This name has resonated through history as one of the greatest warriors of all time, with a very specific calling card. Thousands died slowly in staked fields, all in service of the Ottoman Empire.

Dracula Untold tells the story of this man, years later, after he put the monster behind him and started a family. Just as his world enters a time of peace and stability, the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed (played by Dominic Cooper) makes a demand that cannot be denied and cannot be fulfilled. To save his family and his people, Vlad must again become the monster he abhors.

To begin with, the casting in the movie is amazing, with Luke Evans portraying Vlad who is dark, dangerous and conflicted; Sarah Gadon playing the perfect wife; and a supporting cast that holds their own. Game of Thrones fans among us will also delight in seeing a couple of familiar faces, as Rickon Stark (Art Parkinson), who plays the son of Vlad, and Tywin Lannister (Charles Dance), who provides chills as the Master Vampire — although the man says the word “game” so often in the few scenes he’s in it becomes a bit hard not to laugh.

Dracula Untold also has some interesting stylistic choices that add a great deal of visual interest. When telling background and history, the movie transforms into a still-frame style that makes you aware that the events are not occurring in the present, almost similar to when the story of the Deathly Hallows was told in the seventh Harry Potter movie. There were also changes in perspective views, from third-person to first-person during certain scenes, and occasionally even filming from the view of the bats, making you feel as though you’re flying at the enemy.

The main problem with the movie is how it portrays the Ottoman Empire. While every movie needs its villain, and a villain that is evil enough to make Vlad the Impaler look like the good guy is hard to come by, it’s still problematic to portray an entire historical group as being blindly cruel and unreasonable. While violently expansionist, the Ottomans were notable for allowing people to maintain their own faiths and cultural traditions, and many of the countries conquered by them profited greatly. Historical accuracy is not always the most important, but, when using real historical figures like Mehmed and Vlad, portraying them as real human beings can create an element of realism that is otherwise missing.

With great style choices and casting, Dracula Untold tells a story that we’ve all heard many times before in a way that catches the attention of the audience.

While the run-time is short compared to many of the more recent new releases — clocking in around 90 minutes — the movie manages to entertain for the entire time. The ending is left open for a sequel in a way that is not even remotely subtle, and one only hopes that the box office numbers are high enough for the second to be made.