Mandy was still out of town, and thankfully on Fridays, they show films before 2 pm. So I decided to see Renfield Friday, April 21, @ 11:30 am in a 97-person theater.
Trailers
I arrived at 11:35 at an empty stadium and missed at least one trailer.
- The Machine (May 26)
- Asteroid City (June 16)
- The Boogeyman (June 2)
- Fool’s Paradise (May 12)
- Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (June 9)
- Fast X (30-second teaser with characters in cars) (May 19)
- Strays (June 9)
- The Last Voyage of Demeter (August 11)
Timing
Movie Time: 11:30
Trailers End: 11:53
Movie Start: 11:55
Credits Start: 1:22
Movie Start Delay: 23m
Non-Credit Movie Runtime: 1h27m
Listed Runtime: 1h33m
My Brief Review
I am glad Renfield exists. Although it’s using the existing IP of Dracula, it does put a spin on it. Of course, what We Do in the Shadows has a related spin, but Renfield is trying.
The sound of the movie was a significant letdown. It failed to lift any scenes. There is even a minor plot point around ska music being wrong, but when the action breaks out, there is no “Time Bomb,” no “Sell Out,” or “Superman.” Instead, we get some generic melodies. The whole soundtrack felt like it belonged in a pure action movie, not here.
My other significant complaint is with Awkwafina. Awkwafina is miscast. Chris McKay is asking her to do drama and action. Her movements during fight scenes are unintentionally laughable, and it felt like she was getting noted to keep things down in the first two acts.
Nic Cage was cast correctly and would have been an A+ if not for his prosthetic teeth. I’m sure he demanded them, and the sound editors did their best not to make it sound like his mouth wasn’t full of congealed blood.
Hoult and Schwartz kept the movie in the correct tone, and I enjoyed the absurdity of the action scenes.
Brandon Scott Jones shined in his small role of Mark.
I think it’s worth seeing Renfield, but there was potential for this to be a lot more memorable than it was.
Scores
Tom 6/10
