Nic Cage as Dracula? Yes, please.

The first time I saw the trailer for this movie, I was unaware Nic Cage was in the movie and it was a shocking moment. It made my anticipation level go up.

Renfield (Nicholas Hoult) is Dracula’s familiar, who was responsible for all of the little details that keep Drac alive, including bringing him people to eat. However, after winding up in a support group for people in toxic relationships, Renfield started beginning to wish for a way out of his role. When he helps out police officer Rebecca Quincy (Awkwafina), he finds an inspiration to try an do it.

The standouts of this film is certainly Nicolas Cage and Nicholas Hoult. The pair of Dracula and Renfield was excellent. Cage brought his typical Cage-ness to the role, but there is also a depth of character. Sure, there is the expected campiness, but that does not overwhelm the character or the movie. Hoult is outstanding too as he is so relatable and likeable that he is easy to cheer for.

One of my favorite aspects of Renfield was the way it used Cage and Hoult in recreating scenes from the 1931 Dracula from Universal Pictures, starring Bela Lugosi. Nicolas Cage looked just like Lugosi in several of the black-and-white scenes, and they made this film feel like a continuation of that story.

This was written by Robert Kirkman and Ryan Ridley. Kirkman, of course, gave us The Walking Dead, and they gave us a film that was full of violence and gore, with blood everywhere. Though I did not notice it, I saw several reviews that stated that the CGI-blood was so prevalent but it never got on Renfield or Officer Quincy. That did not bother me, but if I were to watch it again, it might be something to notice.

The action in this movie was really fun and well choreographed. There was plenty of action that also led into the dark comedy of this movie.

I did like Awkwafina in the film, though a lot of her character’s story was not really developed. There were a bunch of things that she had to face, but none of it really seemed to make an impact. The storyline with the mob and Awkwafina’s character and the crooked police felt tossed in several points of the movie. However, Ben Schwartz as Tedward Lobo and his mother, the mob head Bellafrancesca Lobo (Shohreh Aghdashloo) do a great job with what they are given to do.

Redfield is fun. Don’t go into it thinking that this is a serious monster movie. It is not. It has its share of silliness, but also some real thoughts about toxic relationships. Great performances from the two Nics are the key to what is happening. I had a fun time. If you like Nic Cage, this should be right up your lane.

3.8 stars