Dracula Untold

Blu-Ray Rating: ***1/2

Reviewed by: Jennie Kermode

Read Jeff Robson's film review of Dracula Untold
Dracula Untold
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One of the most impressively produced vampire films to reach our screens for some years, this doesn't have the same impact on the small screen but Buster reeves' excellent choreography means the fight scenes still work well and are easy to follow, whilst the CGI scales much better than on many bigger budget films. The fact that many scenes are shot in low light means it's probably worth opting for the blu-ray over the DVD to ensure you get sufficient clarity - and this also means getting a great package of extras.

Luke Evans himself does a great deal in the features. He's more personable and engaging than his character, and his obvious enthusiasm is balanced by an impressively detailed approach to looking at how the film was made. The detailed work in the fight scenes gets its due and, as you'd expect from a film with an art department of thousands, there's also a look at how thee sets were put together, which will leave you impressed by how well they scrub up in the final version.

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The deleted scenes make a more interesting collection than usual, though it's pretty clear why each of them had to go. Most intriguing is a scene featuring the legendary with Baba Yaga which explains where some of Vlad's knowledge about vampires comes from but which would have shifted the film just a little too far into fairytale territory. Another scene is all too obviously filmed in Ireland.

A cute cloud of bats used to swipe between scenes, recalling the batnado in the film itself, adds charm to this collection and makes this a blu-ray with bags of appeal for fans.

Reviewed on: 14 Jan 2015
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Dracula Untold packshot
To defeat a Turkish invasion, medieval Romanian warlord Vlad Tepes must enter into a demonic bargain.
Amazon link

Product Code: B00LSW772S

Region: 2

Sound: DTS

Extras: Interview with Luke Evans; a day in the life of Luke Evans; Luke Evans featurette; major fight scene featurette; Dracula Retold featurette; alternative opening scene; deleted scenes; image gallery.


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