Dracula is the love story you didn’t know you needed this Valentines Day

DRACULA hits theaters just in time for Valentine’s Day. Not the phrase you often hear, but this story of Vlad actually delivers a pretty solid love story. Enough so that you could consider this Vladentine’s Day if you want to.

Synopsis: When a 15th-century prince witnesses the brutal murder of his wife, he renounces God and damns heaven itself. Cursed with eternal life, he is reborn as Dracula, an immortal warlord who defies fate in a blood-soaked crusade to wrench his lost love back from death, no matter the cost. On the verge of reuniting, Dracula is hunted by a relentless priest sworn to end his immortal reign. | 2h 9m | Rated R for violence, some gore and sexuality

We meet Prince Vlad 400 years earlier as he is going off to war. As the priest gives him a prayer of safety all Vlad asks is that God keep his wife Elisabeta alive until he returns. Spoiler alert, she is killed, and Vlad exchanges his loyalty to God for eternal damnation.

Jump 400 years later and Vlad is still roaming the earth in hopes that his wife will reincarnate into another woman and he can find her. He has left a blood trail of Vampire converts to do his bidding. A special “priest” (Christoph Waltz) has spent his life chasing the source of all this carnage and is now about to find him.

We have seen Waltz chase lots of things and this one is certainly gothically fun to watch. Waltz brings a relaxed “another day at the office” approach to what all around him view as unbelievable. It is a character that you want to see more of in other adventures. If this were a series, the priest would be one reason to tune in each week.

Vlad is played by Caleb Landry Jones. Jones is a powerful dramatic actor yet I found it an odd choice for The Count. Normally Dracula is a suave, seductive individual. Jones brings a bloodlust of anger and revenge to the character. He is Hell bent on avenging and finding the love of his life.

It as much a love story as any you will find this February season, but do not think it tame. In the words of AC/DC, “if you want blood, you got it”. There is plenty of vampire lore, violence and carnage to appease the most selective fan. The film is also beautifully shot. Its use of color and at times the absence of give it lots of gothic goodness. From the castle to the parties, to Vlad himself. It is grounded in what we expect from anything with the name Dracula in it, just delivered with a story will seldom get. One of devotion and what it means to sacrifice for the one you love.

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Matt Mungle

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