Nicolas Cage in 'Renfield'

Vampire mythology brought into a modern-day setting has been around for some time now. Films such as Twilight saw that mythology transposed onto a soap opera/teen love theme. The TV series What We Do In the Shadows expanded its possibilities into deadpan humor and a reality show format; and brought the role of the familiar into the spotlight - the hilarious doormat Guillermo. Besides the familiar, we’ve also had those hunting the vampire thrust as our title character, as in Van Helsing. So Renfield is the latest in a long line of Hollywood productions that play with the vampire legend. Renfield (Nicholas Hoult) is the familiar of Dracula (Nicolas Cage), who’s in a recuperating stage at the start of the film. The twist here is that Renfield has been attending a co-Dependency encounter group, where all the members have been trying to extricate themselves from toxic relationships. The in-joke being that only the audience and Renfield know just how toxic a Dracula relationship would be. This brings us to my point, how this film is one of those ‘coulda, shoulda, woulda’ films. It ‘coulda’ been good as this premise of Renfield in group therapy is a promising, wonderful one. Then it ‘shoulda’ been promising as the casting is inspired, the choices of Hoult, of Cage as Dracula, and even Awkwafina as a trying hard police officer, are all smart choices. Plus you see the three really trying their best to make the most of their portrayals. And it ‘woulda’ been better if only they had paid attention to coming up with a sustained, interesting screenplay. As it is, the script works in spurts; but there are too long sequences when the characters just seem to be mouthing the lines, and failing to find real momentum for the narrative flow. It would also seem that the producers have decided to juggle too many narrative strands - and so many just don’t work. Renfield in therapy is fine, but the lines don’t ignite. There’s the little love story between Renfield and Rebecca (Awkwafina), but that’s never fully explored. Then there’s the prissy crime lord wannabe and his tough as nails Mommy Mobster. This narrative flits in and out but also never captures our imagination or sympathies. There’s so much ‘busy’, but very little resonate. And it is a shame as Nicolas Cage makes for a wonderful Dracula. His sarcasm is so rich, his mugging for the camera truly funny, but he’s also relegated to playing second fiddle to the Renfield character. Hoult is an earnest familiar, but lacks fresh and blood. The gore and violence is cartoonish, so not truly scary. The problem is we’re both made squeamish, and asked to laugh at the same time. In the screening I caught, the audience seemed confused on how to react, and I know for a fact that most of them had been looking forward to this film, on the strength of it starring Nicolas Cage. Set in a New Orleans that’s devoid of any character; there’s so much that might have happened in this film, that like a vampire, never see the light of day. Ultimately, it makes for a sporadically entertaining and funny film, but one that’s weighed down by the glaring holes and failures in execution. Renfield opens in cinemas tomorrow, Wednesday, April 26.