RENFIELD (2023)

Nicolas Cage is bloody good in what amounts to a total campy gorefest from beginning to end in Renfield, a film that is not without its faults.

Seeking to break free of his narcissistic and demanding eternal boss (Dracula, played by Nicolas Cage, Renfield (Nicholas Hoult) begins branching out to rediscover his humanity, but soon finds that separating himself from his codependency is infinitely more difficult than it seems. Cage excels in his nefarious role, hitting every beat of the comedy and intensity called for. When he is on screen, it’s hard not to smile, but when he’s not, Renfield struggles. That’s not to say that Hoult doesn’t do his part, as does Awkwafina and Ben Schwartz (both outlandishly hilarious); everyone is cast rather well and gives it their all, but the film’s premise isn’t cooking with enough gas to sustain them. When it is firing on all cylinders, Renfield brings a cool mix of action and laughs that at the core are silly and dumb, but delivered expertly by the cast for laugh-out-loud moments. Other times, the jokes don’t land and the through-plot of Renfield’s desire to find himself and break away from his abusive relationship is quickly exhausted of any intrigue.

This may me the one time I will say that I would have liked a longer film; writer Ryan Ridley keeps everything moving swiftly, but more of on-screen time between the titular character and Cage’s Dracula could have better balanced the wackiness of the plot while demanding more empathy. Likewise, the action seems are filmed in a rushed, blurry fashion that takes away from the excitement (John Wick choreography this is not), relying instead on incredibly gory moments that are shocking and insane, yet overdone. There is certainly money left on the table here and more of a story to mine. As a fun hour and a half crowd pleaser, however, Renfield works extremely well. It’s wild, it takes big swings, and it even has Lizzo in the soundtrack. A winning combination, if only a bit more time was spent on the script.

Renfield hits theaters Friday.

Rating: 3/5