Streaming platforms are sometimes a blessing for cinema. This film, shunned by critics upon its release, is a perfect example since it is now in the Netflix Top 10.
Under the Seine has been dethroned! The French film, which also entered the top of the most viewed films in the history of Netflix, was overtaken, first by the improbable but true story of Crazy Bear, then by Fight back, a totally lame action movie starring Jessica Alba. And this is not the only change in the Top 10 most viewed films of the moment on Netflix which was seriously shaken up at the end of last week. Among the new entrants to the ranking, we note in particular the presence of Dracula Untold. At the time of writing, the film released in 2014 is in ninth place in the Top 10, just ahead Taken 3. Dracula Untold plunges the viewer into the heart of 15th century Transylvania. Vlad III, Prince of Wallachia, rules the region alongside his beloved wife, Mirena. Both succeeded in establishing, finally, a more serene period which allowed the people to live in security, particularly in the face of the Ottoman Empire, which sought to extend its domination. One day, Sultan Mehmed II demands to recruit 1,000 local boys, including Vlad’s son, for his army. Vald (played by Luke Evans) will then make an agreement to defeat the Turks, at the cost of his humanity…
“Stupid and absurd” : opinions are not kind on Dracula Untold
On Rotten Tomatoes, the American review site, the film only has 25% positive reviews, which could suggest that the film is not very good… Even more so if we rely on to the different opinions which evoke “a stupid and absurd rereading of the popular legend” or “a meaningless film”… Some even denounce the absence of gore, which brings the film closer to Twilight rather than a horror film. “If Universal wanted to create a cinematic universe based on mythological monsters, this film destroyed any chance of that happening”writes a spectator.
Dracula Untold : insufficient success
This is indeed what happened. The film grossed $56 million in the United States and only $5 million in France. In total, it grossed 217 million, or triple its initial budget, which makes it an undeniable financial success for Universal, but the production company clearly preferred not to consider a sequel.
Article written in collaboration with 6Medias
