Renfield is silly, stupid, gory, and a mash-up of comedy and genres.
Renfield (Nicholas Hoult), the tortured aide to his narcissistic boss, Dracula (Nicolas Cage), is forced to procure his master’s prey and do his every bidding. However, after centuries of servitude, he’s ready to see if there’s a life outside the shadow of the Prince of Darkness.
A good comedy needs laughs, and Renfield delivers that on so many fronts that I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it. The dialogue was done brilliantly to be funny, using so many techniques to bring out the laughs like catchphrases, good use of swear words, banter, babbling, and just sounding like an idiot. It all works for a lot of the movie and the acting definitely helps add emphasis alongside the right punch line. The dynamic style also really works, and when you add in the slapstick humor and over-the-top action sequences makes this film so much fun to watch.
The pacing is very entertaining. It’s fast but also contains a lot of merit in the way that it presents the story. More depth could have definitely been given, but the pacing should keep the attention spans of most viewers and works with the comedic edge of the film while also adding some character to the movie that is already loaded with character to start.
Renfield is mainly about three characters, and while there are plenty of secondary characters the chemistry really works well. Awkwafina has a great dynamic of both silly and serious with her castmate, Nicholas Hoult has so much depth that he really just meshes well with so many people and there is this vulnerability that is very authentic, and Nicolas Cage is more on the comedy side. Cage’s theatrical antics are so good, and even though the performance may be over-the-top and silly, it meshes well with the menacing nature which works well with the characters. All of these odd dynamics mix all the genres together in a way that is just very engaging, stupid, and yet some much fun to watch.
The action in the movie, for the most part, manages to outdo many action sequences I’ve seen in the last few years. Renfield has this hybrid action and comedy mixed into one, and this combination really worked as his powers came out in full swing.
Overall, Renfield turned out to be much better than I initially anticipated. The comedy was very fun, but the movie’s action and story turned out to be much better than I thought. Renfield has a lot of things that are brought together just mashed well as the cast brought this story to life. A solid story with morals, and a pace that is entertaining with a group of people that really brought the whole thing together. It’s comedic and fun, serious but not too mushy, and it respects the three characters so well with chemistry that mixes things in a favorable reaction. There are still some things that need balancing out to make this movie even better, but you still will have a great time seeing it on the big screen.
Renfield is now playing in theaters.
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