With “Dracula”, horror master Dario Argento (“Suspiria”, “Dark Glasses”) has probably delivered by far his worst film ever. Also new on Amazon Prime Video: “First Kill” with Bruce Willis and Hayden Christensen.
Before Dario Argento could celebrate his impressive comeback this year with “Dark Glasses – Blinde Angst” (4.5 out of 5 stars in the official FILMSTARTS review), it seemed as if the Italian director legend had finally shot all his creative powder. After the already extremely weak “Giallo” of 2009, Argento followed it up with an even worse film, “Dracula”, which even shocked fans of its time to the point that questions about the director’s state of health became louder and louder. The vampire horror, based on the iconic novel by Bram Stoker, is now available on Amazon Prime Video subscription.
The official FILMSTARTS review gave “Dario Argento’s Dracula” a disastrous 1 out of 5 points. Our author Robert Cherkowski writes: “It’s better not to take ‘Dracula’ too seriously. Argento’s failed Bram Stoker adaptation can only be endured with a heavy wink anyway.” In fact, this is also precisely the approach with which one should approach the film. In convivial company, this “Dracula” is certainly at its best, because “unafraid of silliness, Argento poaches in the territory of trash cult director Tommy Wiseau (‘The Room’). “
THERE IT GOES IN DARIO ARGENTO’S DRACULA
Jonathan Harker (Unax Ugalde) travels from England to the remote castle of the infamous Count Dracula (Thomas Kretschmann) in Transylvania to catalogue his library. When he discovers that the Count is attacking villagers at night to suck their blood, Harker wants to leave the castle as quickly as possible, but is attacked by three female vampires, Dracula’s brides.
At the last moment, Dracula is able to save him from death, but in the process also turns him into an undead. But that’s not all: the mercurial count also has his eye on Harker’s wife Wilhelmina Murray (Marta Gastini) and her friend Lucy (Asia Argento), both of whom are in danger of becoming children of the night themselves. Only vampire hunter Professor Abraham Van Helsing (Rutger Hauer) from Amsterdam can help…
ALSO NEW: FIRST KILL WITH BRUCE WILLIS
All direct-to-DVD movies with Bruce Willis are trash? Not true. A more positive example is First Kill, which is now available on Amazon Prime Video subscription. Even if the action thriller by frequent filmmaker Steven C. Miller (“The Aggression Scale”) is certainly no bravura piece, you can expect a halfway passable genre film here, in which Hayden Christensen (Anakin Skywalker in “Star Wars: Episode II” and “Star Wars: Episode III”) in particular is convincing in his acting when he is confronted with highly complex decisions as a family man.
And that’s what it’s about: Young father and successful Wall Street broker Will (Hayden Christensen) is trying to spend more time with his son Danny (Ty Shelton) and takes his family on a trip to the countryside. They plan to spend several days in a remote cabin where Will once grew up. When father and son go hunting together, they suddenly witness a shocking gun battle.
The victim of the attack is wounded but appears to be alive. The two take the injured man back to their cabin and administer first aid – an act they will very soon regret. The stranger takes Danny hostage and flees with him. Will must now team up with the local police chief (Bruce Willis) to stop the kidnapper.
