by Hayden Mears
Director Chris McKay consistently delivers slick-but-superficial genre fare that makes for good one-time viewing but doesn’t hold up on repeat watches (The LEGO Batman Movie being a notable exception). Disappointingly, his latest, this Robert Kirkman-plotted, Ryan Ridley-scripted vampire action-comedy, Renfield, also suffers from this specific brand of mediocrity. Sure, it’s occasionally very funny and is at its best when it indulges in outrageous violence. However, it’s ultimately a shallow, uneven, and uninteresting effort that could’ve been much, much better.
That’s not to say it doesn’t take a stab at profundity. Renfield skirts important distinctions between ‘desire’ and ‘deserve’, never fully engaging with them but involving them enough to suggest some thematic importance. That leads to a larger point about execution and focus: as fun as the premise is on paper, it’s diluted by characters and plot threads that distract the script rather than improve it (Awkwafina and Ben Schwartz being two examples that pop into mind).
Nicolas Cage is Dracula, which isn’t the crux of the whole thing for some reason. Instead, the spotlight is on Nicholas Hoult’s Renfield; the hapless assistant stuck attending to Dracula’s very gross, specific needs. The Renfield/Dracula dynamic doesn’t get nearly enough screen time, but Cage is a delight for what it’s worth (which isn’t much). Yes, even when his fake chompers obstruct his delivery.
The movie coasts on its bizarre (but often hilarious) sense of humour, taking wild swings at everything from ska music to villainy for the sake of it. The villains, the Lobo gang, are deliciously, cartoonishly evil, and the depth of their motivations starts and stops at superficial interpretations of “control.”
The bottom line? Renfield isn’t what it could have been (not even close), but it’s worth a watch for a low-commitment vampire romp.
Renfield is in cinemas now.
