Renfield (2023)

Nicholas Hoult is the eponymous vampire "familial" whose job it is, is to cater for the needs of his toothy master (Nicolas Cage) who is distinctly under the weather. He is gradually tiring of the relentlessness of his tasks - especially as procuring food for his boss is becoming more and more difficult; as well having to rely on his own unsavoury diet of bugs - they give him super strength for a few moments. Meantime, the ballsy police officer "Quincy" (Awkwafina) is trying to finally nail "Teddy Lobo" (Ben Schwartz) whose mother "Bella" (Shohreh Aghdashloo) heads up the city's most ruthless gang of drug dealing hoods and who has bribed just about every city official. Serendipity takes an hand when "Renfield" comes across this officer in a diner and after a lively altercation the two find themselves united in their determination to achieve their goals. To be honest, the story is pretty lightweight and just reminded me of an episode of "Buffy". What makes this a bit more fun is the two characterisations. Hoult joins in. He is clearly having fun with his insects and his acrobatics. Cage is also up for the task at hand. He is super-hammy and at times reminded me more of Sir Anthony Hopkin's "Hannibal Lecter" than of anything Christopher Lee ever did. I saw this on my own in a cinema last night which was a bid sad - it's not a great film, but it is still a mildly amusing mickey-take of this genre (and of what passes for film-noir nowadays) and though instantly forgettable, is still a well produced and enjoyable enough gore-fest.

_Renfield_ is an okay horror comedy. It has a ton of potential with its excessive amount of blood and Nicolas Cage is worth the price of admission alone. The action sequences have all of their entertainment value sucked away by the end of the film; mostly because they all feel so similar. The humor and story reach a brick wall that the filmmakers refuse to stop pounding your face into.

_Renfield_ is like the junk food version of a horror comedy. It has all the right ingredients for something that should be fantastic, but its recipe for action, comedy, and satisfying storytelling is imbalanced to the point of near disgust.

**Full review:** https://boundingintocomics.com/2023/04/18/renfield-review-bite-suck-not-laugh-repeat/

FULL SPOILER-FREE REVIEW @ www.firstshowing.net/2023/review-chris-mckays-renfield-is-precisely-what-its-expected-to-be/

"Renfield is yet another movie that provides precisely what it promises - with an unbelievably ridiculous, purposefully silly story about the toxic relationship between Dracula and Renfield, expectedly elevated by the "OTT King" Nicolas Cage and an up-to-the-challenge Nicholas Hoult. The light, humorous environment leaves space for action sequences that are also intentionally excessive in all technical elements, which makes the entertainment levels inconsistent due to the continuous blend of quick cuts and outrageous amounts of blood. The dedication of the stunt team deserved better and much more screen time. Still, if you're a Cage fan, you won't be disappointed."

Rating: B-

Over the decades countless movies, plays, books, comics, video games, and

television shows have depicted Vampires in various mythos which often
include differences in behaviors, abilities, and, motivations. While there have been many Vampires, none have ever achieved the fabled
status of Dracula who has been the template ever since Stokers’s book and
the classic original film as well as subsequent appearances. In the new film “Renfield” audiences are introduced to Renfield (Nicholas Holt), who recounts his past as an ambitious lawyer who ended up serving
Dracula (Nicolas Cage) as a Familiar when his original intention was to
close a real estate deal. After his Master is injured after another attempt by Vampire Hunters,
Renfield relocates Dracula to New Orleans and looks to find suitable prey
to help his master return to full power.

This in turn leads Renfield to a self-help group as he plans to help the
poor souls there by using their tormentors as prey for his boss which he
hopes will in some way eliminate the burden that has built over the
decades from his servitude. This plan goes horribly wrong when he attempts to subdue an abusive
individual and his group lands Renfield on the radar as not only an eager
a police officer named Rebecca ( Awkwafina), and a drug lord named Edward
(Ben Schwartz). Mixing humor, action, and gore aplenty, Renfield must also deal with his
rising self-help motivations as he looks to stand up to his boss once and
for all and have his needs heard and respected which naturally does not
sit Weill with Dracula.

What follows is an amusing, chaotic, and gory adventure that while at
times inconsistent and meandering with the story; still finds enough ways
to entertain.

Cage hams it up to new levels in his portrayal of Dracula and he is
literally chewing the scenery in every scene in which he is featured and
it is one of his most enjoyable performances in recent years.

Hoult, Awkfwafina, and the supporting cast work well, and while the film
does get more than a bit loose with the story and gaps in logic even for a
film of this type it still manages to work. Dracula talks of a big plan
for world domination but we get little more than lip service which would
have helped to make this version of Dracula a more defined character.

The focus is more on comedic action than horror and it is clear that the
the cast seemed to be having a great time with their roles so as long as you
are willing to overlook issues with the plot; you may find “Renfield” one
of the more enjoyable comedic outings of the year.

3.5 stars out of 5

If not for a trademark over-the-top Nicolas Cage performance and a truly inspired fight scene in an apartment complex, “Renfield” would be a total disaster of a movie. It’s certainly not any good and I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone, and the real horror of it all is the way director Chris McKay blows what should have been a slam-dunk premise.

Set in present day, Renfield (Nicholas Hoult) is the tortured, loyal assistant to Dracula (Cage). He’s served his master for decades, taking care of everything from getting his cape dry cleaned to procuring fresh prey for dinner. After centuries of servitude, Renfield is finally ready to move on and create a life of his own.

Although it is mostly dead in the water, the film’s pacing never feels slow. There’s plenty of entertainment, it’s just not fun enough, outrageous enough, nor twisted enough. The tone is both tongue-in-cheek and sincere, which is not cohesive as a whole. There’s a lot of action that means nothing, and characters like Awkwafina‘s police officer that are bland and forgettable.

The side plots about a crime family with a ruthless boss (Shohreh Aghdashloo) and her son (Ben Schwartz) that wants Renfield dead is half-baked, and the funny group therapy bits where Dracula’s assistant seeks help for co-dependency and dealing with his raging narcissist of a boss falls flat. The ideas all sound so good on paper, but are poorly executed across the board. That’s why the movie feels so underwhelming.

Cage is by far the best part of this mess, and he is an actor who is born to play Dracula. He hams it up in every scene, and his unhinged take is genuinely scary but also goofy. His manic line delivery and unhinged inflection of such dialogue gems like “Hail Satan” is absolute bliss.

The blood and gore is over-the-top and mostly used in a humorous manner, but this isn’t for the squeamish. There is graphic throat ripping, spurting blood, and abdomens slit open with internal organs visibly spilling out. McKay doesn’t shy away from the violence (and the makeup and effects are really great), which should at least delight horror fans.

With such a great idea for story, it’s a bummer that “Renfield” is disappointing in nearly every way imaginable. You’ll find yourself mourning what it could have been.

**By: Louisa Moore / SCREEN ZEALOTS / WWW.SCREENZEALOTS.COM**