Nicolas Cage as Dracula? Say no more… Renfield is a new horror/comedy/action film Starring Nicholas Hoult (Renfield), Nicolas Cage (Dracula), and Awkafina (Rebecca Quincy), the film is directed by Chris Mckay. In the early 1920’s, Renfield meets Dracula in hopes to make some type of land deal with him but ends up becoming manipulated by the vampire and becomes his permanent servant, finding him humans to feed on and fighting away his enemies when Dracula is healing from wounds. Feeling a tremendous amount of guilt for kidnapping and murdering people for Dracula, while staying in New Orleans, Renfield goes to a 12 step program for people looking to break out relationships with narcistic individuals. One night after Renfield saves a police officer (Awkafina), and a bar full of people from a local criminal network, Renfield initiates his journey of breaking free from Dracula and starting his life anew. Is it worth watching? Lets get into it.

I would not call this movie a modern masterpiece or anything, but Renfield is just a silly, gory, fun time but does have some issues, but I will start with some of the positives. Well start with what will most likely entice people the most to watch, which is Nicolas Cage as the dark prince. As you can expect, yes he goes all out for it, and it is very entertaining to watch Cage do the role he has previously spoke about wanting to do for so long. A great deal of credit goes to makeup & special effects designer Christian Tinsley for the look of Dracula, especially at different stages of the movie when he is fully formed with pale skin and sharp nails and dentures, and at other times when he is in a bit of a more broken and bloody state. The movie takes advantage of it’s R rating and really goes all the way with it, with multiple fight scenes with Renfield, and Dracula devouring and fighting various people. Bodies literally explode, limbs are ripped off and used as weapons, all kinds of dismemberment, broken bones, throat slashings and waves of blood add to a lot of over the top fun. Nicholas Hoult does a good job as the titular character, an anxious, regretful super powered being trying to right the wrongs of decades of being an accomplice to evil but he maintains the same emotional beats for most of the movie and holds his own without Cage. If you enjoy Awkafina’s previous performances and humor, than you will enjoy her in this as I did for the most part but if her style of comedy is not something you are into, than you may have an issue enjoying the film and the relationship that Hoult and Awkafina build.

Where this movie staggers, is that it feels just a bit bloated. Like I mention above, the movie is loaded with action and violence, and that is mostly due to a plot that involves the character Rebecca taking on a local crime ring, and Renfield and Dracula finding themselves in the middle of it. It really does not add much to the central story outside of just finding people for Renfield to rip to pieces but it doesn’t slow down the movie too much in getting it to where it wants to go. There are a few other side characters in this that are completely disposable and don’t serve much as to add to the movies body count. In addition the movie hints a romance between Renfield and Rebecca, but it is never really explored or acted on much.

Overall Renfield is a light, bloody, fun time, but feels a bit bloated in its story surrounding the relationship between Cage and Hoult. Cages performance and some fun but super gruesome fight scenes kept me entertained and should have you feeling the same if you enjoy the humor and ultraviolence. 7/10.