Prime Video movie of the day: Nicolas Cage finds a role to sink his teeth into in Renfield
A horror comedy with real bite
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Every day, we cut through the bottomless list of streaming options and recommend something to watch. See all ourNetflix movie of the daypicks, or ourPrime Video movie of the daychoices.
As we said in aHalloween horror round-up, if you want to know whatRenfieldis like then “ImagineWhat We Do In The Shadowswith a massive body count and gallons of gore.” Nic Cage is Dracula in a role that sees him chewing necks as well as scenery; Nicholas Hoult is the titular Renfield, his faithful manservant who starts to imagine living outside his master’s non-shadow.
Funny, gory and somewhat over the top,Renfieldis a lot of fun; audiences liked it a lot, and Nicolas Cage is always great value. And it’s available forPrime Videosubscribers.
Is Renfield worth biting into?
Yes. It’s flawed, but when it works it works brilliantly: it’s often very funny and there are some great scenes and performances. It’s uneven, but if you go in expecting some daft Dracula-related Transylvanian tomfoolery that’s exactly what it delivers.
The Agesaid: “The main attraction is Nicolas Cage’s barnstorming performance as Dracula, played mainly for laughs yet indicating careful study of his many predecessors in the role” whileFilmWeekon NPR Los Angeles said that it’s a “gorefest” where “heads really roll”.
As theHorror Queers Podcastpoints out it’s comedy first and horror second: Cage is “a campy blast” but the story lacks… yes… bite.
But what about Renfield himself, the hero of this story? According to theFort Worth Report,“Nicholas Hoult as Dracula’s loyal servant resembles a cross between aMarvelsuperhero and John Wick.” But it’s Cage we’re all wanting to see, among the “action, comedy and massive amounts of gore.” And his performance? “Fangtastic!”
Honestly, the main reason it’s not on our list of thebest Prime Video moviesis that Cage isn’t in it enough.
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Writer, broadcaster, musician and kitchen gadget obsessive Carrie Marshall has been writing about tech since 1998, contributing sage advice and odd opinions to all kinds of magazines and websites as well as writing more than a dozen books. Her memoir,Carrie Kills A Man, is on sale now and her next book, about pop music, is out in 2025. She is the singer in Glaswegian rock bandUnquiet Mind.
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