Renfield, as you may know, is the latest American dark fantasy horror-comedy film directed by Chris McKay. It is written by Ryan Ridley and is based on an original pitch by Robert Kirkman. The film stars Nicholas Hoult as Renfield, and Nicolas Cage as Count Dracula. The film showcases the classic struggle between an employer and and employee with supernatural and comedic elements. The early reviews for the film have been mixed but leaning a bit towards positive. It has managed to impress the critics and audiences enough to be considered a worth watching film. But if you are still dicey about whether or not to watch this film, read on our verdict for Renfield. Some minor spoilers may follow below, so read at your own risk.
Renfield Movie Review and Ending Explained
Rating – ★★★
Knowing that Renfield is basically a B movie which serves as a Dracula parody I didn’t have much expectations from the film, but it turned out to be fairly entertaining and a lot of fun. While it was essentially a Nicholas Hoult movie as he portrayed the lead character of Renfield, the MVP and driving force of the film was Nicolas Cage’s Dracula. Both dark universe fans as well as Cage fans were really excited to see Nicolas Cage don Dracula’s cape and he did not disappoint! Not only did he portray this goofy version of Dracula with utmost prowess, he also proved that he could also play a serious iteration of the character if required.
Of course, being the campy film it is, there were some moments where the cast including Cage overacted a bit but all in all, the film was pretty solid performance wise. Both the Nicks, Awkwafina, and Bess Rous delivered good performances for the most part while Ben Schwartz’ Mandy served as one of the most comical characters of the film. Without Schwartz’ Mandy the film’s humor would be reduced to half, and just like that, without Cage’s Dracula, this movie would would amount to absolutely nothing. Dracula is what ties this movie together and the looming threat that he presents is the only reason why viewers don’t lose interest. At his minimum power, Cage’s Dracula was funny and interesting and at his full power, he was absolutely terrifying and menacing!
Moving on from the terrific portrayal of Dracula by Cage, let us talk about Renfield aka Nicholas Hoult for a minute. Well, to be honest, his role wasn’t very demanding as most of it was based on him being a manipulated victim of Dracula but he still managed to make the most of his role. He did have his moments but most of them were character moments rather than as an artist. So, let us focus on his character who was the victimized lead of the film. Renfield action moments are some of the standout moments of the film as they are well designed, creative, and goofily edited involving a lot of comedic gore. In one moment for instance, he tears away a mobsters’ limbs and then fights off other mobsters using those limbs as melee weapons and projectiles. So, yeah the film is filled with a buck-load of such gory moments and usually Renfield is in the center of them all.
That aside, Renfield’s character also has some comedic moments, especially his interactions with Dracula and his support group. There a moment where Dracula, being the narcissist that he is, tries to manipulate Renfield, and Renfield goes on reciting verses and quotes from a psychology book about how to deal with narcissists. In another moment, he indirectly talks about Dracula with his support group and how he wants all the power for himself but the group thinks he is talking about power in a symbolic way. Both these scenes play out hilariously and later tie into one horrifying sequence. There are also a few sitcom like tropes in the film for example Awkwafina’s Rebecca repeating “F### you Kyle” numerous times throughout the film. So, from comedy and action perspective, this film checks all boxes.
So, what wasn’t good you ask? Well, everything other than what I mentioned above. The cinematography, score, sound design, and production design were all pretty mediocre and unnoticeable. The make up and costumes, however, were pretty good for a B-film. Moving on, the final act of the film, although high on action, was pretty unsatisfying and in the end it overturned one of the only serious moments in the film. Also, action wise, Dracula felt a little underused in the final act and we were all rooting to see more of Dracula’s powers and skills. Also, the film had next to no meaning or message attached to it, although it had a few meaningful dialogues here and there.
Final Verdict – Renfield doesn’t really take itself that seriously, and as viewers neither should we. So, from fun perspective the film is a great entertainer which rarely has any dull moments. It keeps you invested and interested with goofy and gory visuals as well as placed humor. But if you talk about meaning, depth, or cinematic achievement, it definitely isn’t intended for that purpose. It’s fun while it lasts but the moment you exit the theatre, it leaves no impact and the only thing you’ll remember about it would be Nicolas Cage as Dracula.
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