@@damianhbk1 i haven’t heard a lot about it either which might speak for itself - i remember liking the Premonition track but otherwise it didn’t really stick with me
I blame John Badham's 1979 version of Dracula starring Frank Langella for that. They switched the names of Mina and Lucy to be edgy and clever and I've been confused ever since. Thanks for nothing guys.
@@damianhbk1 I'm not sure if i was transfixed by the cinematography but the score didn't seem to stick with me either, or maybe it was because it blended perfectly with the story. I'm planning to watch it again so I'll pay closer attention next time because people keep mentioning the score, so there's definitely something there to take a closer look at
I agree with what Sydney said about the performances, but I think Aaron Taylor Johnson surprised me the most. I was not expecting to like his character at all because his introduction is cackling over drinks like he’s Billy Zane in Titanic. I kept waiting for him to ignore the women and abuse his wife, but really he’s just a guy whose main priority is his family and he’s not getting any sleep and he just gets annihilated emotionally throughout. He was a way more sympathetic character than I thought he was going to be, and I thought ATJ did a great job portraying that decline into madness by association.
Agreed. And why was he waiting until tomorrow to leave and making the daughters sleep in a separate room? I related most to his character though, despite his oversights. When his voice cracked near the end, it got me and I hadn’t been emotional up until then.
@@lanazak773 probably had to wait until tomorrow to charter a ship or carriage is my guess. And I think daughters sleeping in a seperate room was pretty normal. He did have a big house after all
@ Yes, I thought of that too (for why tomorrow) and the family in separate rooms is a pet peeve of mine; when they know there is danger I always think they should sleep in one room.
I completely agree. The movie wanted me to dislike him and his wife but they are going totally out of their way to help this crazy woman, and what do they get for it? Nothing, and worse.
I feel like the only scene that really stuck with me and captured the spirit of Nosferatu was the first encounter Thomas had with Orlok. But even then, I felt like Eggers should’ve made that scene and the experience of the castle longer instead of cutting back to Ellen so frequently
7:06 “Dread and sensuality are two sides of the same coin; I think they both require an amount of slowness and room to breathe that this film just doesn’t have.” I think you are the first person whose review I’ve read/listened to that faulted this movie for being not slow enough. It seems like negative takes of the film are all over the map, which makes me think it is destined to be reappraised over time, perhaps wildly so.
I was wondering whether people would agree with that, i found it sometimes boring but also very dialogue heavy, while jumping through certain plot points kind of quickly, it’s strange.
@@SydneyVolpe Wasn't able to put words to it but I agree with you completely. People who take issue with it being "slow" might have felt that way regardless, but I do think the moments where it tries to deliver a lot of plot through dialogue detract from the mood piece it could have been. Every time it begins to build any emotion, suspense, or dread, the film either interrupts itself with plot or cuts away to another scene.
Yes... much, too much histrionic emoting. Surprisingly so. This movie too often seemed like a jumbled grab bag of "Dracula's Greatest Hits" (Murnau, Herzog, Hammer, Badham, Coppola, plus a generous helping of Adjani's performance in Possession). Also, how did Eggers drop the ball with the scene where the husband of Ellen's friend goes to the table and NOT having them rise up as vampires and kill him? He has sex with the corpse? Dumb. Then they arrive at the tomb and he's just... dead? Lame.
@@SydneyVolpe I hope I'm not the only person who rolls my eyes whenever I hear the "it's boring" excuse. Every scene has a purpose and I fell like if a certain scene doesn't connect to another or if you feel you're missing context, it's because you weren't paying attention.
- spoilers - So my problem is they didn’t quite commit to Ellen being this closet misanthrope. Orlock is the monster, abuser, not the romantic vampire……but then at the same time there’s no real…I guess, segway, to how the Ellen issue is. I needed just one or two scenes, like something which helps us really see more into her life other than she had the melancholy and she was a lonely teen. We can still be shown some more without giving the whole apple cart away. It doesn’t make sense to me that she ultimately …..I mean, hooking up with him to save the world (and being killed) is a little bit of a phyrric victory for her unless I see something more in stone showcasing her intent. Like just give me more of a conversation with Orlock where he’s like, “don’t you want to leave this world you hate?” instead of her being as conflicted and angry as she was and he gives his whole 3 days spiel like …….that whole chain of things just did not hit for me and did not sell for me.
That was my main issue, I didn't dislike it but it feels like they didn't really commit to anything besides the very end and some of the castle scenes, which even those felt like they kind of were happening at a breakneck pace. It's like they had this whole idea around this version of Orlok and also the connection with Ellen but didn't want to explore it to it's fullest due to being afraid of making the threat less "mysterious".
Agree with you 100%, the end for me felt like rape, she didn't want this, she wanted to save people sure but she didn't want to fuck the monster, it made me uncomfortable
I definitely agree with the critics who bring up lack of emotional connection. For me it was hard to feel invested in these characters because I never once saw a side of them that hinted at a happy life. From the moment we're introduced to them, it's automatic dread and anxiety. I will also say that I did not have this problem at all the witch, the lighthouse, or the Northman. All of the characters in those films were emotionally compelling to me. Depp's performance, while certainly committed, didn't do much for me. She basically just flip flops between sullen, terrified, giddy, and spiteful. It might sound like a dynamic performance until you consider that every mood switch seems to happen because you arrived at that point in the plot, rather than it being an organic shift for the character. We also never see any inkling of the supposedly attractive and magnetic person that her husband and best friend love. From the moment we first meet her, she's presented as unhinged and disturbed. It's to the point where I honestly don't really care that she's flying off the deep end, because I don't know what her normal state is to begin with.
I fell asleep twice for the first time in my life during a movie. Luckily the heavy loud music they used to evoke emotions that the direction should have been portraying woke me up. I am sure Bill Skarsgård worked hard on that voice but I kept thinking of Inspector Kemp in Young Frankenstein with that heavy over the top accent who always had to drop out of character to translate what he just said. A blood thirsty creature who looked like a corpse probably would not care about maintaining a mustache. It's not like he could look into a mirror to do it. On a positive side the cinematography was impressive and the acting was OK but the character development wasn't there. I didn't care what happened to any of them and looked forward to the credits! Compare this nosfertu to the tortured vampire that Klaus Kinskey portrayed in the 1979 version that had you horrified and sympathetic for Orlock at the same time.
The Witch is still his best film but I am glad he made this one. Gothic horror is so rare to be made and I do think he added very interesting elements to the story that I look forward to seeing it again. My main issue was with pacing and character motivations.
I don't want to be reductive of Robert Eggers talents or motivation but it feels like he let his purported love for Murnau's Nosferatu get in the way of the fact that that's not the movie he actually wanted to make. The folkloric elements and what he does with "Orlok" and the relationship with Ellen are the most interesting things about this movie but it all gets lost in the plodding and almost mechanical march through the Nosferatu plot. Eggers' Orlok is already a completely different character visually and thematically so at that point what are we still doing in this narrative? He either needed to take way bigger swings or make an original vampire movie because both the "Nosferatu" of this movie and the few things Eggers does add are worse off for being saddled with each other.
Agreed, I liked Skarsgard's perfomance, the cinematography, etc. but he already has a few straight up monologues and is his own version of the character, and is shown in full view of the camera, so why not just have it go all the way and explore his motivations or origins a bit more, especially if the movie is intended to be a "dark gothic tale of obsession/romance".
I love everything Eggers has done so far and wanted to love this but I was left feeling a bit cold too. I enjoyed the first half very much but it just didn’t wow me like his earlier films or Herzog’s Nosferatu did when I saw that many years ago. I plan to watch it again and see how I feel then.
Same here. But then I didn't love The Northman on first viewing either. Now I do, and have seen it at least 5-6 times. Maybe history will repeat itself...
I really appreciate your review. Although I adore this movie to pieces, I think many of the criticisms you had were valid, reasonable and sound. Amongst the vapid reviews of Nosferatu, this one is a breath of fresh air.
I totally agree with you. I’m a huge fan of Nosferatu the Vampyre from ‘79 and I love the classic 1922 silent film. I really appreciated the atmosphere in this film but I’ll be Joe at the design of Nosferatu was not for me, plus I didn’t feel like we got any scene to sympathize with the characters. Lilly Rose Depp, while giving a physical on demanding performance, however I felt like she was crying and making orgasm faces in every scene. Also Arron Taylor Johnson’s performance I felt was very lacking. They should have gotten Robert Pattinson for that role.
I agree with your critique. I was also looking toward a more radical reinterpretation. I felt the Priestess of Isis sacrifice was left too late and not deep enough to really work. I wanted it to lean more into the occult elements. And one question I have: if Ellen is calling out in the dark from Germany, how is it the first person she reaches lives in Transylvania? Like there are no ancestral elemental evils closer by? I still think Herzog / Kinski is the best of the Nosferatus (But Oldman is the best Dracula). I didn't mind the psychosexual elements either but again, commit to the bit. I do wonder if, as you said, it was a studio thing.
@@End-ResultI don't necessarily think it was supposed to be "appropriate". It's odd for sure, but that's probably the point, they're both at their wit's end and have no idea how to deal with it.
*** SPOILERS *** I saw the original silent film many years ago. I forgot that the heroine also sacrifices her life in the original film. I do remember feeling frustrated with the male characters being utterly ineffectual, just as they are in the Robert Eggers remake. I thought at least Willem Dafoe, who is effectively playing Van Helsing, would have a more urgent, aggressive stance against the vampire. The Nicholas Hoult character is a complete wuss. It was also so disappointing to see Aaron Taylor-Johnson, who will possibly become the next James Bond, so clueless and powerless. But the murders of the two young girls was gratuitous and completely unnecessary. I mean, come on, we've already seen Orlock decimate an entire ship's crew. Do we really need to experience what he does to those two girls to understand how evil and dangerous he is? In my opinion some directors, like Eggers, David Fincher and Ridley Scott, just a have sadistic streak in them. We can feel their contempt for the very characters we're supposed to be rooting for. As result, we never really feel engaged with the characters or the story. It's like standing outside the fish bowl watching the fish devour each other.
A monster that's truly cursed, that was this vampire. Normally there's an element that makes me chuckle when it comes to vamps, the horror of being immortally beautiful is usually hard to say no to. But yuck... this guy was barely able to exist, let alone have any sort of respect for life. Imagine how it felt about children, to see all that life and future, the vile thing must have hated the sight of them. Made sense to me that he did what he did, but I'm not sure how you get the horror across without death being a factor. In a vampire movie, people tend to have to die. I thought it worked though! It is very engaging and hard to stomach certain realities of that period.
I didn't even think about the children, but I've thought that exact thing during most scenes of Lily Rose. To the point of feeling like I've watched a different movie than everyone else. I'm really confused about what the movie is trying to say tbh
@Jackie-cl2qe It's pretty blatant about what it's trying to say. A cautionary tale about a repressed/unchecked......appetite, on every possible level that an "appetite" can exist.
Hi Sydney, great summary. I am on the fence with this one, the craft is impeccable but I felt there was something missing like it was somewhat restrained. However, this movie has a lot of atmosphere made by a filmmaker and not a committee so I appreciated that. Happy New Year!
I've been torn on this film since I watched it. In many ways I can understand both perspectives. I walked out of the theater feeling completely captivated by what I just saw. Nosferatu couldn't escape my mind. Then I started to have discussions with others who saw it and it didn't take much convincing for me to acknowledge that maybe this wasn't the revolutionary interpretation I thought it was. I generally lean more towards the positive side as I'm generally someone who places a lot of emphasis on the imagery and aesthetic of movies, but it does some issues that become more apparent the deeper you dig into it.
I don't agree with all your conclusions but it's refreshing to hear a filmtube review that isn't just fawning rubbish (which is why I just subscribed). I never have expectations with Eggers' films, other than that they might be well produced and entertaining... but I'm always somehow disappointed. He is just so overhyped and his fundamental lack of narrative depth and naïvety shows even after all of the films he has made, imho. That said, I did love the extremely dark visuals (the dark colour palette, not just the tone) and the sound design was blood curdling. I also thought Bill Skarsgård's performance was brilliant, even if he ended up looking like a more zombified cross between Jim Carey's Count Orlof and (oddly enough) his own brother (and fellow actor) Gustaf's persona... but my main disappointment is that I feel like what we ended up getting here was a more macabre and violent 19th century (dare I say) twilight style rehash of a classic gothic horror that leaned way too much into luvvey duvvey 'romantic' horror, rather than a genuine nosferatu adaptation. Oh well.
Damn your little intro of context/recounting of adaptation history was great. Haven’t seen it yet so I’ll be back for everything after the spoiler warning!!! Happy holidays and thank you for a year of awesome vids. 2025 has some hire releases and I can’t wait for ur thoughts on them all!! Also that sweater is rad.
Conflicted is the word I was looking for. I loved it, but feels like something is off. And weirdly enough, it feels off in the "right" way, that is, this off feeling renders the movie more unique for me: I realised that this is the same feeling that I had when I was a child and was having nightmares due to high fever. Those nightmares were vivid, moody, had a narrative but were also quite choppy and incoherent. Or as you put it regarding the movie: the "scenes" weren't long enough. So to me this movie felt like those nightmares I had on a very high fever, albeit masterfully crafted to perfection. And those nightmares came back the very night after I saw the movie. I was sleeping awake with vivid and weird visions of terror, beyond comprehension. No movie has made me feel like this before and I love that. But somehow, I remained hungry and unsatisfied after seeing it. It's a very weird sensation that I love and hate at the same time. It feels a bit like akathisia mixed with pleasure. With that being said, nothing tops Herzog's version of Nosferatu for me.
4:52 - While I did enjoy the movie, I also felt like it was sort of "choppy". Like it was just a string of highly crafted scenes rather than a flowing story. As you said - I did feel a bit disconnected by that. I don't mind watching a longer movie, and he could've made this movie longer to improve the flow.
It was totally mid imo. Not scary. Barely creepy. Liked the breathing sonics, and blood sucking sonics... but still very mid. Gothic enough I guess. Will not buy on physical media.
What's wrong with modern horror films is the "more is more" attitude. This film is at its worst when it falls prey to that attitude: unnecessary nudity/sex, grotesque visuals for the sake of shock value, and unneeded jump scares to replace genuine suspense/tension building. One element that should have been preserved from the original film is subtlety: it creeps you out by leaving a lot to the imagination. This remake has a lot of good stuff, but is ultimately a mediocre film with a fancy mustache on.
"Speak No Evil" is really scary, the remake from over the summer. The actor that plays Patrick is terrifying just as a dad living in the country type guy.
If you take that stuff out then the subtext doesn't work at all though. Vampires have almost always been inherently sex-coded creatures, and considering the frankly rapey undertones this version of Orlok has, I'm not surprised they went pretty far with it. Hell, if anything I think they should've gone even farther with it considering how many people keep shipping Ellen and Orlok together lmao.
I personally think it’s the best vampire movie and that it is faithful to the original while being its own thing. Also give Bill Skarsgard an Oscar for his performance.
Appreciate your insight! I wish there was more mystery and suspense around the story. I'm curious as to whether I would have enjoyed it more had I been able to wipe out all my previous Dracula/Nosferatu knowledge. The ending felt fated, and that very well may have worked for some, but I also never felt like the characters had much agency. Oh well still a good time
Did not like story at all. They play Ellen as a melancholy bride and suddenly they reveal this huge backstory at the end?? Wha…!!?? Could have told a more coherent story in 20 less minutes. It really smelled like “tried to hard” at times. That said, the wardrobe, cinematography and small details on screen were 10/10.
It really makes it hard for the viewer to care about her. She's just this miserable, sullen person the entire film, never presenting even an ounce of real Joy except for when she's waxing poetic about her dreams of death. Like this is the gal whose life I'm supposed to be worrying about the entire film?
Eggers Nosferatu is an exceptionally crafted film but I think it's played safe. The original Nosferatu was groundbreaking and remains iconic. Herzog's Nosferatu was hauntingly beautiful with his signature nihilism dripping through it. Coppola's Dracula, for all it's indulgences had some of the most memorable vampiric imagery ever put to film. If I had to rank them all they'd be: 1. Nosferatu 1979 2. Nosferatu 1922 3. Nosferatu 2024 4. Coppola's Dracula Only reason I rank Eggers over Coppola is there are parts of Coppola's film that are too weird and distracting for me. But it is a more memorable film. That I'll give.
Thank you. I feel like I'm being gaslit by this apparent consensus over it being a "masterpiece". I agree with every single point you made, and you made them perfectly. Ok maybe not every point - I didn't get any "compulsive hetero" from this film, I just found Ellen insufferable. The film didn't lead me to believe she might be gay, just that she was bipolar. I didn't buy Depp's performance as you did. She's no Adjani. The main issue for me is the pacing, the editing, and the lack of narrative depth. A strangely hollow experience. Scenes either too fast or too slow. I felt "wrong-footed" by the entire film. It was quite funny at times, perhaps unintentionally. I think you had a review for The Substance which wasn't totally praiseworthy? That's another film where i thought I was going crazy, not liking it as much as most.
It was just okay. The pacing was horrible and the story descended into incoherent gibberish at times. The performances were great and the imagery was compelling but it really wasn’t that scary. Neither was Skarsgard as Orlock. I’d give it a B- at best.
It’s a shame because the witch was creepy as hell and I was expecting the same feeling. Major let down. Visually, it’s a masterpiece, but that’s bout it.
Saw it tonight and agree with you to a tee. I liked the movie overall and it had some very pretty shots, but something about it just didn’t… resonate. Murnau and Herzog’s versions had much more creepiness and dread and just felt more fully realized. Couldn’t help feeling underwhelmed given that I thought this would be an absolute slam dunk
Good on you for being honest about how you saw the film. Two things CAN be true at the same time: it’s good but not your favorite of this genre. I felt the same vibe.
Loved it but I was probably always going to. I always love this story best when it’s called Nosferatu. My least favorite of the three, but very high above other Dracula adaptations. Herzog’s will always be on top for me.
I didn't find Orlock terrifying, I found him annoying and sometimes unintentionally funny. When he did speak, he was difficult to understand. The wheezing was extremely annoying; why was that necessary? It was beautiful to look at, but the storyline was lacking. There is a sense of impending doom throughout the film, but it wasn't scary.
I like the cinematography, the soundtrack, the concept of the ending, and the design around Orlok but it feels like there was a portion of the film that's just missing, either by design or due to cuts (but I doubt it's the latter). The castle sequences and the daybreak scene at the end feel like the peak and everything else was rushed to get to those points aside from maybe the couple brief Von Franz/Ellen exchanges. I feel like Eggers had ideas to explore Orlok's origins and motivations slightly more but was too afraid of not keeping the character esoteric enough so a decision was made to not include any of that context or extra character motivation directly in the film, despite him still having a few full on monologues. Also I know it's meant to tie into the movie's subtext but the whole "possession into borderline assault" scene felt a bit unnecessary especially when that happens not that long before what's essentially supposed to be this big emotional sacrificial finale.
I agree with your take. The Witcha and the Lighthouse left me shaking my head in disbelief (in a great way), and, while I liked it, it didn’t take as many chances as I thought it could’ve. For one, I felt they obscured Orlok too much. When we do see him, we aren’t given enough time to be shocked by his appearance. We also didn’t see his true power early enough-maybe ever. I’d say there were some missed opportunities (Hutter’s journey must’ve been much, much harder, and he might’ve even been on the verge of death upon arriving) as well as some odd and unnecessary additions (the gypsy scene with the smiling man seemingly from a cologne commercial).
Did Ellen awaken Orlok, or did Herr Knock? This film can't decide. We're shown Knock, using an ancient tome, and performing some dark ritual. But, why? What was that book, and where did he get it? What information did it reveal, and what happens to it? How did young Ellen awaken this ancient vampire, far away in Transylvania? Psychic powers? How are they interconnected? This movie is plagued by inconsistencies, unanswered questions, and the omission of a Renfeld-esque character. The character, and purpose of Herr Knock just doesn't make sense, in this telling.
She woke Orlock. And kinda ripped him out of the peace of death. Orlock was more the victim of the story, not the evil bad guy. He acted quite relatable considering the state of his body, the loneliness and the horror he had to go through and the pain and anger because his of it. Like a beaten and brutally tortured animal.
@@willscorner8423, disagree. Orlok had free will. If he was truly horrified by his own undeath, he could've gotten a suntan. Orlok was evil, preying on the innocent, and wanting to steal Ellen's life's blood, to perpetuate himself. But, she tricked him, thereby destroying him, and sacrificing her life. She's a heroine. It's just tragic.
Great review! Really fair and a lot of great points made. I’m on board with you. I own all of RE films, watched many interviews, and saw nosferatu twice just to absorb it a second time. I did NOT like the stash,..or his eyes. The stash hid his teeth, and his eyes just didn’t stare into my soul like I wanted. Coppola’s Dracula is still my favorite because the antagonist took on so many interesting turns, and the characters were complex. 7/10,..8.5 if RE would have made Count O look scarier. Why hide Bills face so much with prosthetics??!! I wanted a pennywise vampire!!!
Okay we just watched Herzog’s version and we think it is better, maybe the best. Great cinematography and acting, no gross baby or child scenes, Renfield’s character made more sense, Dracula was far more interesting, and the scene at the end with Lucy (name switched with Mina this time) was more compelling. I don’t know how we missed this version before, I thought we’d seen them all.
The baby scenes have their root in the novel. Lucy upon turning into a vampire became a baby snatcher vampire roaming the cemetery. The Bloofer lady. The most terrifying of all Dracula’s brood.
Really insightful, Sydney. I’m not that familiar with the other Nosferatu/Dracula films so I thought your review did an excellent job giving an informed perspective.
Wow, really liked your review of this, very much how I felt and what I got from it in general. You just do an awesome job in putting all those details into words. One of the best aspects of this film was the surreal and atmospheric approach, especially in the first half of the film, it was definitely one of my favorite things about it, I'd watch it again just because of that. That's more of the abstract aspects of film and I would have preferred a film like that overall but that style alone definitely not for the masses. And especially because of that I can see what you mean about Eggers straying away a bit from his essence in a way, perhaps . There's some great and unique things about this film but it could have been so much better, even a masterpiece. But yeah, there is some type of disconnect somehow, I felt, especially near the conclusion of the film. Wonderful review 👏
You really knocked it out of the park with this video, Sydney! 🥳 I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: you’re a total genius. I think Herzog's Nosferatu will always hold a special place in my heart as my favorite adaptation, but I’m really starting to love Coppola’s Dracula even more. Maybe it’s time for a little vampire movie marathon! 😂🍿
OK. So I have no history with any of these films, Dracula or Nosferatu, while also not seeing any of Robert Eggers films. I came into this completely blind with no expectations or really any love for horror movies at all. This movie felt amazing to me. Well shot, great acting, and for me the material just sucked me in and kept me engaged throughout the film. This has become my favorite vampire film as well as my favorite horror film I have seen and now I am going to go through and watch Eggers previous films as well as watch more classic Dracula films. Do you have recommendations on what Dracula films I should watch?? I am going to watch The Witch soon then The Lighthouse and The Northman.
FF Coppola's 1992 Dracula has a couple bad performances from the actors (Keanu Reeves badly miscast) but it's a visually-stunning practical effects showcase from start to finish, since it abandons realism to go for an almost-psychedelic aesthetic instead. The 1979 Nosferatu by Herzog is similar to the 2024 version in that it's directly remaking the original silent film, but the 1979 one leans more towards the atmospherics & ambiance. I personally found it kinda slow & dry, but it's still very well regarded.
Great video my friend! I really liked the movie, but I LOVED Bill Skarsgard as Count Orlok. With this performance and his portrayal of Pennywise, I can see Bill Skarsgard joining the likes of Boris Karloff, Vincent Price, and Robert Englund as one of the greatest and most beloved horror icons of all time.
I'm just totally bored with vampires. They have been done to death and to undeath and beyond. Makers of horror films should turn their time and effort to something else. Something original.
Interesting! I would honestly watch a million takes on this story even if i didn’t like them haha. But i do feel like there’s a self conscious element of adapting something so iconic that can yield mixed results
I’m so worried about not liking this film. I don’t think the trailers have looked very good and it seems like the year will start and end with a film I find overrated (Dune 2 shoutout). Your review has assured me a bit, and after seeing The Order yesterday, I’m just excited to see Nicholas Hoult again. Happy new year, Sydney
Great review, Sydney! I just saw this movie last night, and I came out thinking that this fell just a bit short of being a winner for me personally. That "lack of depth" in the imagery is something I couldn't quite put my finger on until you expressed that. Great ensemble performances, assured direction, and plenty of effective moments. What didn't work for me though is unfortunately Nosferatu himself. I'm not quelling on Skarsgård's work, and I do respect the team for bringing a new design of the character to the silver screen, but it's... Just a little ridiculous to see in this. Nope.
I was watching another reviewer and she just went on and on about the settings and gorgeous cinematography and that makes it a great movie to her. I'm thinking, fine, it looks great but how is the story and characters?
I was blown away by Eggers' take on Nosferatu. And I think I must be the only person who just simply not understand the love for Werner Herzog's "Nosferatu the Vampyre." To me, much of this film is like pure camp. But cinema is - as is all art - subjective.
Nice video to watch, I personally loved this movie so much and I want to see it again in theaters 😅 Oh and I saw an interview where Eggers said they didn’t digitally enhance his voice ONLYYYY for like two small parts where he yells and said the rest is just purely skarsgard which I thought was pretty impressive
I really liked it I rewatched Coppola’s version right after to compare and as someone who enjoy dialogue and exposition heavy movies I preferred Eggers take. That being said tho I have an appreciation for both.
I haven’t seen the movie but I have watched a few reviews. I’ll watch it when it’s available in streaming mostly because sitting in a theater for two hours isn’t my cup of tea. But I like the fact you’re taking a counter approach to your review. Everyone else is raving about “Nosferatu” and I’ve found that popular opinion is very often “wrong.” (I will add that “opinion is never wrong.” And opinion is defined as “a position on something that is debatable.” Movie reviews are always debatable.)
I totally agree. The film was a slight disappointment. The Witch had been such a pleasant surprise for me and I really enjoyed the Northman as well. I think some part of that disappointment has to do with the fact that I already know this story. As you mentioned, there are dozens of iterations of this tale and I've seen most of them. I know the twists, I know the next beats, I know the end before it plays out. So I ended up watching it and consciously thinking about directorial choices rather than watching a story unfold. 3.5/5 seems about right.
Funnily enough, that's the draw for me, all the Eggerisms, and I'd say he did a damn fine job with what's probably his most studio-ish thing yet (not necessarily a problem in this case since, if he was going to remake anything, I'm glad it was this).
I fell asleep during the movie! Not because it was boring, but because I just worked a double shift and thought that I could stay awake. Gotta rewatch this
I really agree on the point you made about how the movie doesn’t really give enough time for certain idea ideas or themes to grow. I thought the movie was OK. I just think that the plot devices used could have been used in different ways. 3.5/5 is very fair
Thank you - i thought i was the only one with similar conflicted feelings on this take (and i’m a huge Eggers fan otherwise) Lily-Rose Depp scenes just felt hysterical reaction shots including updated Exorcist. F W Murnau/Max Shrek still is the scariest Count to me - Klaus Kinski had a great updated look but Tobe Hooper’ hit the peak; Werner Hezrog’ was the most artistic and existential, with a great twist. I enjoyed Eggers version but funnily enough I appreciated Nicholas Hoult and surprisingly commanded a lot of presence for what is essentially a side character. Going to have a second viewing for a finer appraisal perhaps the similar shots from Hezrog’ in Eggers distracted and underwhelmed me a little first time.
My gold standard for cinematic interpretations of the Dracula story used to be Coppola's film, then I saw Werner Herzog's "Nosferatu" which became and still is my absolute favorite film regarding this tale. There are images and moments in Hertzog's version that I think about often. This was good, don't get me wrong, but I too did leave the theater wanting a bit more and to your excellent point I definitely did not really feel emotionally invested in any of the characters. That is one huge reason why I love Gary Oldman's performance-I feel much empathy for him.
While I do like Oldman, I can't deal with pretty much any other aspect of that movie outside of some of his looks. I was honestly baffled by how utterly corny it all was. Yes, I know, it's Dracula, but if the first 5 minutes were what the whole movie looked and felt like, then it would've been all the better for itself.
I felt as though certain moments were rushed as well. Thomas’ time in the castle being one of them. Maybe they will release a Director’s cut version of the movie that fleshes things out more?
Agreed with many of the your thoughts but overall I did enjoy this film, with my main praise being the performances, set, costumes and also the changes that expanded Ellen's connection to Orlok. I had a few criticisms but my main one was that I almost forgot I was watching an Eggers film? To me compared to his other three films there was just a bit too much going on. I feel what Eggers does best is creating intimate long scenes with his characters that wasn't as present here. Now I really just want to go back to the 79' Herzog version, I love the vibes and that score!
This film is Visually stunning, masterfully acted.. especially Ms deep, bill and Mr dafoe. I think bill's orlok is the most menacing and Vicious...but this films biggest detriment are the movies that came before that have done it better or at the same lvl as this one. It doesn't reach the highs and weird like Francis ford's dracula so it's very complacent at fitting in.
I actually couldn't take Coppola's version particularly seriously at all, once that haunting intro with the red sky was over, it was all downhill from there. A few scenes made me feel like I was at one of those theme park haunted houses.
I feel like I’m taking crazy pills but am I the only one who thought Lily Rose Deppotism’s performance was atrocious? It was like 12/10 over the top melodrama. Lots of emotions, absolutely none of them even remotely believable
I agree about some of the plot points or disturbing scenes not lasting long enough! Which to me as someone who reallllly gets unsettled by possession/seizures depicted I was left wondering why I wanted more of it. But I think you did an excellent job explaining that there’s deeply unsettling things happening but I might only be able to reference back to 3 of them by next year. I am so happy Eggers worked on his passion project but wish he had made bolder choices to the story (especially with the internal plot for Ellen.) I was on a Lolita deep dive and her having an unhappy ending in the novel feels like the point, so I don’t know why I was as disappointed as I was with Ellen’s melancholia and her greater role towards saving humanity. It didn’t land for me but it felt like the logical conclusion.
I was SO excited for this one and was SO disappointed. The storyline was non-existent. No origin story of Ellen and Orlok. Ellen was just lonely, had a family and everything, but called out for a savior and that summoned Orlok? That's all of an origin story we get in over 2 hours? And Orlok dies because he just forgets what time of day it was? Ellen didn't trick him or manipulate him at all and he goes to her at his own will right at morning? And no fight with Thomas or anyone? The characters except Orlok and Ellen actually didn't matter at all to the storyline. So the story was all foretold in the book they found in the realtor's office which wasn't even at the end of the movie and we just needed to sit and wait for the fate foretold in the book to play out? Why? What's the point? Good just cancelled out evil with Ellen sacrificing herself? Okay. Great. Wonderful. I just walked away wondering what was the point of this? No message. No feelings. No storyline. But reviewers are just GUSHING over this saying it's the greatest EVER in this genre. What?! Glad you gave an honest review and you are not alone in your thoughts on this one. Bizarre. Great review though!
I hope your Spider-man 3 poster isn't meant to be ironic. I still get crap whenever i mentione that i like it even though it is flawed. Great review for the film btw haha
Thanks for watching!! Very much love spiderman 3 haha its one of the first movies i can remember being super obsessed with growing up and i still think it’s amazing!
i loved it but i agree with everything you said, this could’ve easily used another 20 minutes to just hold on a lot of that dread and the more disturbing elements of the movie, let some of those moments play out more could’ve been even freakier too, adding an extra vampire or two would’ve helped
I'm personally a fan of gothic vampire films so I'll probably like or love this Robert Eggers adaptation of Nosferatu whether it's a slow burn or not. I've seen many different opinions on this film but some of my favorite reviewers really loved it and Jeremy Johns listed Nosferatu (2024) as his favorite film of the year.
I am a massive vampire fanatic (books and movies and tv shows) Always have been since a little girl. Seen so many vamp movies. And in preparation for 2024 Nosferatu i rewatched the '22, watched the '79 film (which *shaaame* was my first time) , and rewatched 2000 Shadow of The Vampire. I always loved the '92 Coppola film and i have read Stokers book multiple times in my life In was so excited for this movie. I love Robert Eggers other movies. And i saw Nosferatu just yesterday and while i do like it...there are also lots of things i feel mixed about 🫣🫣🫣 however, my thoughts also are "i wanna see this movie AGAIN!" So..yeah..that is that. But..visuals aside.."yeah..beautiful scenery yadayada"... somewhere in the middle i thought..pfffff.. it dragged for me...a bit.. and the pacing was...off at times. And there are just some other things i can't put into words yet 🤔 So i loved your video here ❤ a video that is not all that oooh and aaaah so positive 😅
This film was definitely targeted towards the Arthouse crowd. Eggers' favorite films include Andrei Rublev which, if you showed it to the average American today, they would call it boring slop. In reality it's one of the greatest films ever made. I personally loved Nosferatu, I think it's my favorite Eggers film so far. Definitely better than the Northman, on par with The Witch and The Lighthouse.
I had the exact same experience. I am a giant Robert eggers fanboy, I think the lighthouse and the witch are masterpieces. I like the Northman but didn’t love it on that level. This one I really just thought my hype got in the way? But on second viewing I adore the atmosphere but the scenes feel so rushed and to the point, yet I was still bored? I nearly dozed off in the theatre twice when watching it. Most the dialogue for me always felt like it was being read off a piece of paper instead of performed. Even though lily rose depp did great it still felt a bit one dimensional. Overall so letdown that I can’t love this as much as other people do.
Very similar experience, I do think expectations got the better of me and in time I’ll appreciate it for what it is but it just never clicked like his first two movies did.
I liked the film a lot so I don't necessarily agree with some of your points. I loved The VVitch and really loved the historical details in this film. I think as a remake, he evolved and flushed out some of the key chapters, but have Ellen's character more agency in her decision at the end. Great art direction and cinematography.
I have to say, as a HUGE Eggers fan, this really disappointed me. Eggers doesn’t do scripted storytelling well. He’s a visual story teller, imagery. His story here felt short. The main characters going in circles about, “Plague! Science!… Plague!” By the second act I was clocked out 😑. Nosferatu was a great character but not enough to carry the movie. Big disappointment. 4/10
Totally agree! My family loved it but I left the film thinking it should’ve been a silent film. It would’ve been phenomenal. He struggles with dialogue big time.
After the second watching it was incredible. I got the whole thing on the second watching. It’s an experience I can’t wait to see in the theater another one or two times to get the full effect on the theaters. If it attached the Dracula franchise it could be called “the haunted girl”. A story about a girl haunted by a demon of masturbation.
How disgusting. She has sexual perversions and is fantasizing about a historical figure like it is his fault. I really don't think this sounds good at all.
Just realized I called Isabelle Adjani Mina when she was Lucy. I give up on keeping these names straight
But what did you think of the film score? I haven't seen any reviewer here in the tube give their opinions good or bad on this topic!
@@damianhbk1 i haven’t heard a lot about it either which might speak for itself - i remember liking the Premonition track but otherwise it didn’t really stick with me
Honestly, it's a cringe and mediocre movie, it wasn't scary at all and the ending was very disappointing, it's not worth it.
I blame John Badham's 1979 version of Dracula starring Frank Langella for that. They switched the names of Mina and Lucy to be edgy and clever and I've been confused ever since. Thanks for nothing guys.
@@damianhbk1 I'm not sure if i was transfixed by the cinematography but the score didn't seem to stick with me either, or maybe it was because it blended perfectly with the story. I'm planning to watch it again so I'll pay closer attention next time because people keep mentioning the score, so there's definitely something there to take a closer look at
It wasn’t great outside cinematography. I just didn’t buy the story/plot/ending. It just fell flat. It was a mess.
My friend said, "I kinda got tired of seeing the mashed potato hand." Haha! 😂 IYKYK
I agree with what Sydney said about the performances, but I think Aaron Taylor Johnson surprised me the most. I was not expecting to like his character at all because his introduction is cackling over drinks like he’s Billy Zane in Titanic. I kept waiting for him to ignore the women and abuse his wife, but really he’s just a guy whose main priority is his family and he’s not getting any sleep and he just gets annihilated emotionally throughout. He was a way more sympathetic character than I thought he was going to be, and I thought ATJ did a great job portraying that decline into madness by association.
Agreed. And why was he waiting until tomorrow to leave and making the daughters sleep in a separate room? I related most to his character though, despite his oversights. When his voice cracked near the end, it got me and I hadn’t been emotional up until then.
I totally didn’t see it that way at first but your comment really convinced me!! Good observation about his emotional descent
@@lanazak773 probably had to wait until tomorrow to charter a ship or carriage is my guess. And I think daughters sleeping in a seperate room was pretty normal. He did have a big house after all
@ Yes, I thought of that too (for why tomorrow) and the family in separate rooms is a pet peeve of mine; when they know there is danger I always think they should sleep in one room.
I completely agree. The movie wanted me to dislike him and his wife but they are going totally out of their way to help this crazy woman, and what do they get for it? Nothing, and worse.
I feel like the only scene that really stuck with me and captured the spirit of Nosferatu was the first encounter Thomas had with Orlok. But even then, I felt like Eggers should’ve made that scene and the experience of the castle longer instead of cutting back to Ellen so frequently
Facts
exactly
@@ericdavis6261 Robert eggers was great he even said it was his main influence.
Yes the whole Thomas going to meet the count was very creepy
Sad that 5 minutes was like the biggest highlight of a 2hr movie.
No version of Nosferatu will ever be better than Max Shreck's 1922 performance.
what about Williem Dafoe? I thought it was brilliant!
7:06
“Dread and sensuality are two sides of the same coin; I think they both require an amount of slowness and room to breathe that this film just doesn’t have.”
I think you are the first person whose review I’ve read/listened to that faulted this movie for being not slow enough. It seems like negative takes of the film are all over the map, which makes me think it is destined to be reappraised over time, perhaps wildly so.
I was wondering whether people would agree with that, i found it sometimes boring but also very dialogue heavy, while jumping through certain plot points kind of quickly, it’s strange.
I think it's a bit of a pacing issue. I think the second act seemed slow because it didn't have the room to breathe and so didn't feel propelled.
@@SydneyVolpe Wasn't able to put words to it but I agree with you completely. People who take issue with it being "slow" might have felt that way regardless, but I do think the moments where it tries to deliver a lot of plot through dialogue detract from the mood piece it could have been. Every time it begins to build any emotion, suspense, or dread, the film either interrupts itself with plot or cuts away to another scene.
Yes... much, too much histrionic emoting. Surprisingly so. This movie too often seemed like a jumbled grab bag of "Dracula's Greatest Hits" (Murnau, Herzog, Hammer, Badham, Coppola, plus a generous helping of Adjani's performance in Possession).
Also, how did Eggers drop the ball with the scene where the husband of Ellen's friend goes to the table and NOT having them rise up as vampires and kill him? He has sex with the corpse? Dumb. Then they arrive at the tomb and he's just... dead? Lame.
@@SydneyVolpe I hope I'm not the only person who rolls my eyes whenever I hear the "it's boring" excuse. Every scene has a purpose and I fell like if a certain scene doesn't connect to another or if you feel you're missing context, it's because you weren't paying attention.
- spoilers -
So my problem is they didn’t quite commit to Ellen being this closet misanthrope. Orlock is the monster, abuser, not the romantic vampire……but then at the same time there’s no real…I guess, segway, to how the Ellen issue is. I needed just one or two scenes, like something which helps us really see more into her life other than she had the melancholy and she was a lonely teen. We can still be shown some more without giving the whole apple cart away. It doesn’t make sense to me that she ultimately …..I mean, hooking up with him to save the world (and being killed) is a little bit of a phyrric victory for her unless I see something more in stone showcasing her intent. Like just give me more of a conversation with Orlock where he’s like, “don’t you want to leave this world you hate?” instead of her being as conflicted and angry as she was and he gives his whole 3 days spiel like …….that whole chain of things just did not hit for me and did not sell for me.
Most incisive and precise criticism I have found yet. Thanks.
That was my main issue, I didn't dislike it but it feels like they didn't really commit to anything besides the very end and some of the castle scenes, which even those felt like they kind of were happening at a breakneck pace. It's like they had this whole idea around this version of Orlok and also the connection with Ellen but didn't want to explore it to it's fullest due to being afraid of making the threat less "mysterious".
Agree with you 100%, the end for me felt like rape, she didn't want this, she wanted to save people sure but she didn't want to fuck the monster, it made me uncomfortable
I quite agree. The movie failed to persuade me to her point of view. She just comes off as bipolar.
@@karolinaa3944Worse
Human Sacrifice.
There was no "agency" there. Now if they were going for that, ok, but they weren't.
Great review, Sydney! I totally appreciate all the areas you’re torn on this film. As usual, you break it all down really well.
I definitely agree with the critics who bring up lack of emotional connection. For me it was hard to feel invested in these characters because I never once saw a side of them that hinted at a happy life. From the moment we're introduced to them, it's automatic dread and anxiety.
I will also say that I did not have this problem at all the witch, the lighthouse, or the Northman. All of the characters in those films were emotionally compelling to me.
Depp's performance, while certainly committed, didn't do much for me. She basically just flip flops between sullen, terrified, giddy, and spiteful. It might sound like a dynamic performance until you consider that every mood switch seems to happen because you arrived at that point in the plot, rather than it being an organic shift for the character. We also never see any inkling of the supposedly attractive and magnetic person that her husband and best friend love. From the moment we first meet her, she's presented as unhinged and disturbed. It's to the point where I honestly don't really care that she's flying off the deep end, because I don't know what her normal state is to begin with.
I fell asleep twice for the first time in my life during a movie. Luckily the heavy loud music they used to evoke emotions that the direction should have been portraying woke me up. I am sure Bill Skarsgård worked hard on that voice but I kept thinking of Inspector Kemp in Young Frankenstein with that heavy over the top accent who always had to drop out of character to translate what he just said. A blood thirsty creature who looked like a corpse probably would not care about maintaining a mustache. It's not like he could look into a mirror to do it. On a positive side the cinematography was impressive and the acting was OK but the character development wasn't there. I didn't care what happened to any of them and looked forward to the credits! Compare this nosfertu to the tortured vampire that Klaus Kinskey portrayed in the 1979 version that had you horrified and sympathetic for Orlock at the same time.
The Witch is still his best film but I am glad he made this one. Gothic horror is so rare to be made and I do think he added very interesting elements to the story that I look forward to seeing it again.
My main issue was with pacing and character motivations.
I really think Ralph Ineson was another standout performance in the film. That guy was made to play old-world characters!
He’s like one of our greatest character actors! Kind of wish he had a bigger role but he did do a great job
I can't stand him, I find him thoroughly dull. Maybe it's all of the radio adverts he does...
I personally adored this movie. I can’t wait to rewatch it.
I don't want to be reductive of Robert Eggers talents or motivation but it feels like he let his purported love for Murnau's Nosferatu get in the way of the fact that that's not the movie he actually wanted to make. The folkloric elements and what he does with "Orlok" and the relationship with Ellen are the most interesting things about this movie but it all gets lost in the plodding and almost mechanical march through the Nosferatu plot. Eggers' Orlok is already a completely different character visually and thematically so at that point what are we still doing in this narrative? He either needed to take way bigger swings or make an original vampire movie because both the "Nosferatu" of this movie and the few things Eggers does add are worse off for being saddled with each other.
Agreed, I liked Skarsgard's perfomance, the cinematography, etc. but he already has a few straight up monologues and is his own version of the character, and is shown in full view of the camera, so why not just have it go all the way and explore his motivations or origins a bit more, especially if the movie is intended to be a "dark gothic tale of obsession/romance".
I love everything Eggers has done so far and wanted to love this but I was left feeling a bit cold too. I enjoyed the first half very much but it just didn’t wow me like his earlier films or Herzog’s Nosferatu did when I saw that many years ago. I plan to watch it again and see how I feel then.
It just felt so forced and lazy.. I agree with you
Same here. But then I didn't love The Northman on first viewing either. Now I do, and have seen it at least 5-6 times. Maybe history will repeat itself...
There’s supposed to be a 3hr cut of the film when it releases on Blu-ray. I would rewatch it then lol.
This is not a Dracula remake, it is a Murnau remake. I think this is a big difference.
All based on the same book tho
Seems like he wanted to further merge the two sources... Eggers' Orlok looks like a better fit for Dracula than Nosferatu.
“I think” is not fact lol 😂
@@stinkfinga4918It's less that and more just "He's a Count, so it makes sense he'd dress like this and look like that".
I really appreciate your review. Although I adore this movie to pieces, I think many of the criticisms you had were valid, reasonable and sound. Amongst the vapid reviews of Nosferatu, this one is a breath of fresh air.
I totally agree with you. I’m a huge fan of Nosferatu the Vampyre from ‘79 and I love the classic 1922 silent film.
I really appreciated the atmosphere in this film but I’ll be Joe at the design of Nosferatu was not for me, plus I didn’t feel like we got any scene to sympathize with the characters. Lilly Rose Depp, while giving a physical on demanding performance, however I felt like she was crying and making orgasm faces in every scene. Also Arron Taylor Johnson’s performance I felt was very lacking. They should have gotten Robert Pattinson for that role.
I honestly think it could’ve been a longer movie or a miniseries. Way too much was going on for a 2 1/4 long movie.
I agree with your critique. I was also looking toward a more radical reinterpretation. I felt the Priestess of Isis sacrifice was left too late and not deep enough to really work. I wanted it to lean more into the occult elements. And one question I have: if Ellen is calling out in the dark from Germany, how is it the first person she reaches lives in Transylvania? Like there are no ancestral elemental evils closer by? I still think Herzog / Kinski is the best of the Nosferatus (But Oldman is the best Dracula). I didn't mind the psychosexual elements either but again, commit to the bit. I do wonder if, as you said, it was a studio thing.
The random sex scene between her and Thomas when she is possessed was totally innapropriate too
@@End-ResultI don't necessarily think it was supposed to be "appropriate". It's odd for sure, but that's probably the point, they're both at their wit's end and have no idea how to deal with it.
I assume Ellen and Orlok were on very similar wavelengths already, if that's how her ability worked in the first place.
*** SPOILERS *** I saw the original silent film many years ago. I forgot that the heroine also sacrifices her life in the original film. I do remember feeling frustrated with the male characters being utterly ineffectual, just as they are in the Robert Eggers remake. I thought at least Willem Dafoe, who is effectively playing Van Helsing, would have a more urgent, aggressive stance against the vampire. The Nicholas Hoult character is a complete wuss. It was also so disappointing to see Aaron Taylor-Johnson, who will possibly become the next James Bond, so clueless and powerless. But the murders of the two young girls was gratuitous and completely unnecessary. I mean, come on, we've already seen Orlock decimate an entire ship's crew. Do we really need to experience what he does to those two girls to understand how evil and dangerous he is? In my opinion some directors, like Eggers, David Fincher and Ridley Scott, just a have sadistic streak in them. We can feel their contempt for the very characters we're supposed to be rooting for. As result, we never really feel engaged with the characters or the story. It's like standing outside the fish bowl watching the fish devour each other.
A truly horrific monster is supposed to express a sadistic streak.....raw...extreme...and unapologetic. That's Horror.
A monster that's truly cursed, that was this vampire. Normally there's an element that makes me chuckle when it comes to vamps, the horror of being immortally beautiful is usually hard to say no to. But yuck... this guy was barely able to exist, let alone have any sort of respect for life. Imagine how it felt about children, to see all that life and future, the vile thing must have hated the sight of them. Made sense to me that he did what he did, but I'm not sure how you get the horror across without death being a factor. In a vampire movie, people tend to have to die.
I thought it worked though! It is very engaging and hard to stomach certain realities of that period.
I didn't even think about the children, but I've thought that exact thing during most scenes of Lily Rose. To the point of feeling like I've watched a different movie than everyone else. I'm really confused about what the movie is trying to say tbh
@Jackie-cl2qe It's pretty blatant about what it's trying to say. A cautionary tale about a repressed/unchecked......appetite, on every possible level that an "appetite" can exist.
Hi Sydney, great summary. I am on the fence with this one, the craft is impeccable but I felt there was something missing like it was somewhat restrained. However, this movie has a lot of atmosphere made by a filmmaker and not a committee so I appreciated that. Happy New Year!
I've been torn on this film since I watched it. In many ways I can understand both perspectives. I walked out of the theater feeling completely captivated by what I just saw. Nosferatu couldn't escape my mind. Then I started to have discussions with others who saw it and it didn't take much convincing for me to acknowledge that maybe this wasn't the revolutionary interpretation I thought it was. I generally lean more towards the positive side as I'm generally someone who places a lot of emphasis on the imagery and aesthetic of movies, but it does some issues that become more apparent the deeper you dig into it.
I don't agree with all your conclusions but it's refreshing to hear a filmtube review that isn't just fawning rubbish (which is why I just subscribed). I never have expectations with Eggers' films, other than that they might be well produced and entertaining... but I'm always somehow disappointed. He is just so overhyped and his fundamental lack of narrative depth and naïvety shows even after all of the films he has made, imho. That said, I did love the extremely dark visuals (the dark colour palette, not just the tone) and the sound design was blood curdling. I also thought Bill Skarsgård's performance was brilliant, even if he ended up looking like a more zombified cross between Jim Carey's Count Orlof and (oddly enough) his own brother (and fellow actor) Gustaf's persona... but my main disappointment is that I feel like what we ended up getting here was a more macabre and violent 19th century (dare I say) twilight style rehash of a classic gothic horror that leaned way too much into luvvey duvvey 'romantic' horror, rather than a genuine nosferatu adaptation. Oh well.
Damn your little intro of context/recounting of adaptation history was great. Haven’t seen it yet so I’ll be back for everything after the spoiler warning!!! Happy holidays and thank you for a year of awesome vids. 2025 has some hire releases and I can’t wait for ur thoughts on them all!! Also that sweater is rad.
Thanks for being here and happy holidays!! Hope you have a good time. Soooo excited for some of these 2025 movies.
This movie sucks, non scary, very silly characters, boring predictable dialogue, not scary at all .... horrible
Conflicted is the word I was looking for. I loved it, but feels like something is off. And weirdly enough, it feels off in the "right" way, that is, this off feeling renders the movie more unique for me: I realised that this is the same feeling that I had when I was a child and was having nightmares due to high fever. Those nightmares were vivid, moody, had a narrative but were also quite choppy and incoherent. Or as you put it regarding the movie: the "scenes" weren't long enough. So to me this movie felt like those nightmares I had on a very high fever, albeit masterfully crafted to perfection. And those nightmares came back the very night after I saw the movie. I was sleeping awake with vivid and weird visions of terror, beyond comprehension. No movie has made me feel like this before and I love that. But somehow, I remained hungry and unsatisfied after seeing it. It's a very weird sensation that I love and hate at the same time. It feels a bit like akathisia mixed with pleasure.
With that being said, nothing tops Herzog's version of Nosferatu for me.
Totally agree. Good elements here and there but not put together in a way that makes a tight movie.
4:52 - While I did enjoy the movie, I also felt like it was sort of "choppy". Like it was just a string of highly crafted scenes rather than a flowing story. As you said - I did feel a bit disconnected by that. I don't mind watching a longer movie, and he could've made this movie longer to improve the flow.
God this was bad... Self serving ... Yet beautiful...tonally all over the place...And horribly acted by LRD...
I happen to agree with you! Happy holidays Sydney- been enjoying the House of Cinema podcast 😊
Ooo interesting! Thanks so much for the support happy holidays :)
ugh i didnt like depps performance at all
It was totally mid imo. Not scary. Barely creepy. Liked the breathing sonics, and blood sucking sonics... but still very mid. Gothic enough I guess. Will not buy on physical media.
What's wrong with modern horror films is the "more is more" attitude. This film is at its worst when it falls prey to that attitude: unnecessary nudity/sex, grotesque visuals for the sake of shock value, and unneeded jump scares to replace genuine suspense/tension building. One element that should have been preserved from the original film is subtlety: it creeps you out by leaving a lot to the imagination. This remake has a lot of good stuff, but is ultimately a mediocre film with a fancy mustache on.
"Speak No Evil" is really scary, the remake from over the summer. The actor that plays Patrick is terrifying just as a dad living in the country type guy.
@@Babu-kr3crThat thing was garbage, I can't take McAvoy seriously. I'll watch the original sometime in the future.
If you take that stuff out then the subtext doesn't work at all though. Vampires have almost always been inherently sex-coded creatures, and considering the frankly rapey undertones this version of Orlok has, I'm not surprised they went pretty far with it. Hell, if anything I think they should've gone even farther with it considering how many people keep shipping Ellen and Orlok together lmao.
I personally think it’s the best vampire movie and that it is faithful to the original while being its own thing. Also give Bill Skarsgard an Oscar for his performance.
Preach
Laughable
Thats a stretch ..An Oscar for voice acting?
Appreciate your insight! I wish there was more mystery and suspense around the story. I'm curious as to whether I would have enjoyed it more had I been able to wipe out all my previous Dracula/Nosferatu knowledge. The ending felt fated, and that very well may have worked for some, but I also never felt like the characters had much agency. Oh well still a good time
Did not like story at all. They play Ellen as a melancholy bride and suddenly they reveal this huge backstory at the end?? Wha…!!?? Could have told a more coherent story in 20 less minutes. It really smelled like “tried to hard” at times. That said, the wardrobe, cinematography and small details on screen were 10/10.
It really makes it hard for the viewer to care about her. She's just this miserable, sullen person the entire film, never presenting even an ounce of real Joy except for when she's waxing poetic about her dreams of death. Like this is the gal whose life I'm supposed to be worrying about the entire film?
Really awesome review!
The new algorithm has exposed me to a few new channels, which is good to see.
Oh yay that’s great to hear!! Thanks for watching🙌🏼
Eggers Nosferatu is an exceptionally crafted film but I think it's played safe. The original Nosferatu was groundbreaking and remains iconic. Herzog's Nosferatu was hauntingly beautiful with his signature nihilism dripping through it. Coppola's Dracula, for all it's indulgences had some of the most memorable vampiric imagery ever put to film.
If I had to rank them all they'd be:
1. Nosferatu 1979
2. Nosferatu 1922
3. Nosferatu 2024
4. Coppola's Dracula
Only reason I rank Eggers over Coppola is there are parts of Coppola's film that are too weird and distracting for me. But it is a more memorable film. That I'll give.
The second half of the movie needed more time to breathe in general.
Coppolas dracula is much better .has much better scenes overall and better Van Helsing
@@TVBoomCityCoppola's Dracula (Oldman aside) is cornball city.
I actually thought it sucked , not at all scary
Same
Thank you. I feel like I'm being gaslit by this apparent consensus over it being a "masterpiece". I agree with every single point you made, and you made them perfectly.
Ok maybe not every point - I didn't get any "compulsive hetero" from this film, I just found Ellen insufferable. The film didn't lead me to believe she might be gay, just that she was bipolar. I didn't buy Depp's performance as you did. She's no Adjani.
The main issue for me is the pacing, the editing, and the lack of narrative depth. A strangely hollow experience. Scenes either too fast or too slow. I felt "wrong-footed" by the entire film. It was quite funny at times, perhaps unintentionally.
I think you had a review for The Substance which wasn't totally praiseworthy? That's another film where i thought I was going crazy, not liking it as much as most.
Exactly!!
It was just okay. The pacing was horrible and the story descended into incoherent gibberish at times. The performances were great and the imagery was compelling but it really wasn’t that scary. Neither was Skarsgard as Orlock. I’d give it a B- at best.
Felt the same way.. I don’t understand the purpose of the film. It was disappointing compared to his other films I really enjoyed
It’s a shame because the witch was creepy as hell and I was expecting the same feeling. Major let down. Visually, it’s a masterpiece, but that’s bout it.
You completely summed up my experience! Fantastic video, Sydney.
Thanks for watching Brian!!
Saw it tonight and agree with you to a tee. I liked the movie overall and it had some very pretty shots, but something about it just didn’t… resonate. Murnau and Herzog’s versions had much more creepiness and dread and just felt more fully realized.
Couldn’t help feeling underwhelmed given that I thought this would be an absolute slam dunk
Good on you for being honest about how you saw the film. Two things CAN be true at the same time: it’s good but not your favorite of this genre. I felt the same vibe.
Loved it but I was probably always going to. I always love this story best when it’s called Nosferatu. My least favorite of the three, but very high above other Dracula adaptations. Herzog’s will always be on top for me.
I didn't find Orlock terrifying, I found him annoying and sometimes unintentionally funny. When he did speak, he was difficult to understand. The wheezing was extremely annoying; why was that necessary? It was beautiful to look at, but the storyline was lacking. There is a sense of impending doom throughout the film, but it wasn't scary.
I like the cinematography, the soundtrack, the concept of the ending, and the design around Orlok but it feels like there was a portion of the film that's just missing, either by design or due to cuts (but I doubt it's the latter). The castle sequences and the daybreak scene at the end feel like the peak and everything else was rushed to get to those points aside from maybe the couple brief Von Franz/Ellen exchanges. I feel like Eggers had ideas to explore Orlok's origins and motivations slightly more but was too afraid of not keeping the character esoteric enough so a decision was made to not include any of that context or extra character motivation directly in the film, despite him still having a few full on monologues. Also I know it's meant to tie into the movie's subtext but the whole "possession into borderline assault" scene felt a bit unnecessary especially when that happens not that long before what's essentially supposed to be this big emotional sacrificial finale.
I agree with your take. The Witcha and the Lighthouse left me shaking my head in disbelief (in a great way), and, while I liked it, it didn’t take as many chances as I thought it could’ve. For one, I felt they obscured Orlok too much. When we do see him, we aren’t given enough time to be shocked by his appearance. We also didn’t see his true power early enough-maybe ever. I’d say there were some missed opportunities (Hutter’s journey must’ve been much, much harder, and he might’ve even been on the verge of death upon arriving) as well as some odd and unnecessary additions (the gypsy scene with the smiling man seemingly from a cologne commercial).
ah, I use to hate the mustache, now I like!
Did Ellen awaken Orlok, or did Herr Knock? This film can't decide. We're shown Knock, using an ancient tome, and performing some dark ritual. But, why? What was that book, and where did he get it? What information did it reveal, and what happens to it? How did young Ellen awaken this ancient vampire, far away in Transylvania? Psychic powers? How are they interconnected? This movie is plagued by inconsistencies, unanswered questions, and the omission of a Renfeld-esque character. The character, and purpose of Herr Knock just doesn't make sense, in this telling.
Must every question/mystery have an answer? Let some things remain shrouded, it makes life and art more interesting.
@ulfingvar1 They're valid questions, and this is Eggers not Lynch.
She woke Orlock. And kinda ripped him out of the peace of death. Orlock was more the victim of the story, not the evil bad guy. He acted quite relatable considering the state of his body, the loneliness and the horror he had to go through and the pain and anger because his of it. Like a beaten and brutally tortured animal.
@@willscorner8423, disagree. Orlok had free will. If he was truly horrified by his own undeath, he could've gotten a suntan. Orlok was evil, preying on the innocent, and wanting to steal Ellen's life's blood, to perpetuate himself. But, she tricked him, thereby destroying him, and sacrificing her life. She's a heroine. It's just tragic.
@@kbs1212 well, this movie is from the guy who made The Lighthouse, that is on a similar level than Lynch I‘d say
Great review! Really fair and a lot of great points made. I’m on board with you. I own all of RE films, watched many interviews, and saw nosferatu twice just to absorb it a second time. I did NOT like the stash,..or his eyes.
The stash hid his teeth, and his eyes just didn’t stare into my soul like I wanted.
Coppola’s Dracula is still my favorite because the antagonist took on so many interesting turns, and the characters were complex.
7/10,..8.5 if RE would have made Count O look scarier. Why hide Bills face so much with prosthetics??!! I wanted a pennywise vampire!!!
Okay we just watched Herzog’s version and we think it is better, maybe the best. Great cinematography and acting, no gross baby or child scenes, Renfield’s character made more sense, Dracula was far more interesting, and the scene at the end with Lucy (name switched with Mina this time) was more compelling. I don’t know how we missed this version before, I thought we’d seen them all.
The baby scenes have their root in the novel. Lucy upon turning into a vampire became a baby snatcher vampire roaming the cemetery. The Bloofer lady. The most terrifying of all Dracula’s brood.
Really insightful, Sydney. I’m not that familiar with the other Nosferatu/Dracula films so I thought your review did an excellent job giving an informed perspective.
Wow, really liked your review of this, very much how I felt and what I got from it in general. You just do an awesome job in putting all those details into words. One of the best aspects of this film was the surreal and atmospheric approach, especially in the first half of the film, it was definitely one of my favorite things about it, I'd watch it again just because of that. That's more of the abstract aspects of film and I would have preferred a film like that overall but that style alone definitely not for the masses. And especially because of that I can see what you mean about Eggers straying away a bit from his essence in a way, perhaps . There's some great and unique things about this film but it could have been so much better, even a masterpiece. But yeah, there is some type of disconnect somehow, I felt, especially near the conclusion of the film. Wonderful review 👏
You really knocked it out of the park with this video, Sydney! 🥳 I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: you’re a total genius. I think Herzog's Nosferatu will always hold a special place in my heart as my favorite adaptation, but I’m really starting to love Coppola’s Dracula even more. Maybe it’s time for a little vampire movie marathon! 😂🍿
OK. So I have no history with any of these films, Dracula or Nosferatu, while also not seeing any of Robert Eggers films. I came into this completely blind with no expectations or really any love for horror movies at all. This movie felt amazing to me. Well shot, great acting, and for me the material just sucked me in and kept me engaged throughout the film. This has become my favorite vampire film as well as my favorite horror film I have seen and now I am going to go through and watch Eggers previous films as well as watch more classic Dracula films. Do you have recommendations on what Dracula films I should watch?? I am going to watch The Witch soon then The Lighthouse and The Northman.
FF Coppola's 1992 Dracula has a couple bad performances from the actors (Keanu Reeves badly miscast) but it's a visually-stunning practical effects showcase from start to finish, since it abandons realism to go for an almost-psychedelic aesthetic instead.
The 1979 Nosferatu by Herzog is similar to the 2024 version in that it's directly remaking the original silent film, but the 1979 one leans more towards the atmospherics & ambiance. I personally found it kinda slow & dry, but it's still very well regarded.
Watch Dracula 1979 Lawrence Olivier & Frank Langella
I couldn't stop thinking of Coppola's Dracula the entire time. I tried very hard not to compare, but the truth is, there's no comparison.
You're one of the best film analysts on RUclips
I don’t know about that haha but appreciate it!!
what about shadow of the vampire, Williem Dafoe played Nosferatu. That movie was amazing and his portrayal of Orlok was AMAZING!!
Great video my friend! I really liked the movie, but I LOVED Bill Skarsgard as Count Orlok. With this performance and his portrayal of Pennywise, I can see Bill Skarsgard joining the likes of Boris Karloff, Vincent Price, and Robert Englund as one of the greatest and most beloved horror icons of all time.
Your review is exactly bang on cue. Eggars didn't go all out and he should have.
I'm just totally bored with vampires. They have been done to death and to undeath and beyond. Makers of horror films should turn their time and effort to something else. Something original.
Interesting! I would honestly watch a million takes on this story even if i didn’t like them haha. But i do feel like there’s a self conscious element of adapting something so iconic that can yield mixed results
The movie lost me with count Orlock, they didn't do him right at all.
Wow! A rather cynical take on this amazing film I must say 🤔
I’m so worried about not liking this film. I don’t think the trailers have looked very good and it seems like the year will start and end with a film I find overrated (Dune 2 shoutout). Your review has assured me a bit, and after seeing The Order yesterday, I’m just excited to see Nicholas Hoult again. Happy new year, Sydney
Great review, Sydney!
I just saw this movie last night, and I came out thinking that this fell just a bit short of being a winner for me personally.
That "lack of depth" in the imagery is something I couldn't quite put my finger on until you expressed that.
Great ensemble performances, assured direction, and plenty of effective moments.
What didn't work for me though is unfortunately Nosferatu himself. I'm not quelling on Skarsgård's work, and I do respect the team for bringing a new design of the character to the silver screen, but it's... Just a little ridiculous to see in this. Nope.
The original Nosferatu is still the best vampire movie and the best Dracula adaptation.
I was watching another reviewer and she just went on and on about the settings and gorgeous cinematography and that makes it a great movie to her. I'm thinking, fine, it looks great but how is the story and characters?
I rate the story and characters a zero. I cared not what happened to them at the end.
It seems like everybody pretty much unanimously loves the cinematography. The characters are what a lot of people are failing to connect with
I was blown away by Eggers' take on Nosferatu. And I think I must be the only person who just simply not understand the love for Werner Herzog's "Nosferatu the Vampyre." To me, much of this film is like pure camp. But cinema is - as is all art - subjective.
Nice video to watch, I personally loved this movie so much and I want to see it again in theaters 😅
Oh and I saw an interview where Eggers said they didn’t digitally enhance his voice ONLYYYY for like two small parts where he yells and said the rest is just purely skarsgard which I thought was pretty impressive
Ooo okay good to know!! So impressive!
I really liked it I rewatched Coppola’s version right after to compare and as someone who enjoy dialogue and exposition heavy movies I preferred Eggers take. That being said tho I have an appreciation for both.
I haven’t seen the movie but I have watched a few reviews. I’ll watch it when it’s available in streaming mostly because sitting in a theater for two hours isn’t my cup of tea. But I like the fact you’re taking a counter approach to your review. Everyone else is raving about “Nosferatu” and I’ve found that popular opinion is very often “wrong.” (I will add that “opinion is never wrong.” And opinion is defined as “a position on something that is debatable.” Movie reviews are always debatable.)
I totally agree. The film was a slight disappointment. The Witch had been such a pleasant surprise for me and I really enjoyed the Northman as well. I think some part of that disappointment has to do with the fact that I already know this story. As you mentioned, there are dozens of iterations of this tale and I've seen most of them. I know the twists, I know the next beats, I know the end before it plays out. So I ended up watching it and consciously thinking about directorial choices rather than watching a story unfold. 3.5/5 seems about right.
Funnily enough, that's the draw for me, all the Eggerisms, and I'd say he did a damn fine job with what's probably his most studio-ish thing yet (not necessarily a problem in this case since, if he was going to remake anything, I'm glad it was this).
I fell asleep during the movie! Not because it was boring, but because I just worked a double shift and thought that I could stay awake. Gotta rewatch this
Oh no😭
@ but from what I’d seen, it was great acting and the score was phenomenal
I really agree on the point you made about how the movie doesn’t really give enough time for certain idea ideas or themes to grow. I thought the movie was OK. I just think that the plot devices used could have been used in different ways. 3.5/5 is very fair
Thank you - i thought i was the only one with similar conflicted feelings on this take (and i’m a huge Eggers fan otherwise) Lily-Rose Depp scenes just felt hysterical reaction shots including updated Exorcist. F W Murnau/Max Shrek still is the scariest Count to me - Klaus Kinski had a great updated look but Tobe Hooper’ hit the peak; Werner Hezrog’ was the most artistic and existential, with a great twist. I enjoyed Eggers version but funnily enough I appreciated Nicholas Hoult and surprisingly commanded a lot of presence for what is essentially a side character. Going to have a second viewing for a finer appraisal perhaps the similar shots from Hezrog’ in Eggers distracted and underwhelmed me a little first time.
i figured out why they hid nossy from the trailers, its because had a mustache
My gold standard for cinematic interpretations of the Dracula story used to be Coppola's film, then I saw Werner Herzog's "Nosferatu" which became and still is my absolute favorite film regarding this tale. There are images and moments in Hertzog's version that I think about often. This was good, don't get me wrong, but I too did leave the theater wanting a bit more and to your excellent point I definitely did not really feel emotionally invested in any of the characters. That is one huge reason why I love Gary Oldman's performance-I feel much empathy for him.
While I do like Oldman, I can't deal with pretty much any other aspect of that movie outside of some of his looks. I was honestly baffled by how utterly corny it all was. Yes, I know, it's Dracula, but if the first 5 minutes were what the whole movie looked and felt like, then it would've been all the better for itself.
I felt as though certain moments were rushed as well. Thomas’ time in the castle being one of them.
Maybe they will release a Director’s cut version of the movie that fleshes things out more?
Agreed with many of the your thoughts but overall I did enjoy this film, with my main praise being the performances, set, costumes and also the changes that expanded Ellen's connection to Orlok. I had a few criticisms but my main one was that I almost forgot I was watching an Eggers film? To me compared to his other three films there was just a bit too much going on. I feel what Eggers does best is creating intimate long scenes with his characters that wasn't as present here. Now I really just want to go back to the 79' Herzog version, I love the vibes and that score!
I went to this on christmas day and i felt like it was too long and i just wasn't that into it.
are you gonna review Complete Unknown?
This film is Visually stunning, masterfully acted.. especially Ms deep, bill and Mr dafoe. I think bill's orlok is the most menacing and Vicious...but this films biggest detriment are the movies that came before that have done it better or at the same lvl as this one. It doesn't reach the highs and weird like Francis ford's dracula so it's very complacent at fitting in.
I actually couldn't take Coppola's version particularly seriously at all, once that haunting intro with the red sky was over, it was all downhill from there. A few scenes made me feel like I was at one of those theme park haunted houses.
I feel like I’m taking crazy pills but am I the only one who thought Lily Rose Deppotism’s performance was atrocious? It was like 12/10 over the top melodrama. Lots of emotions, absolutely none of them even remotely believable
So true, at a certain point of the movie I was like “cmon now we get the point “ 😂
I agree about some of the plot points or disturbing scenes not lasting long enough! Which to me as someone who reallllly gets unsettled by possession/seizures depicted I was left wondering why I wanted more of it. But I think you did an excellent job explaining that there’s deeply unsettling things happening but I might only be able to reference back to 3 of them by next year. I am so happy Eggers worked on his passion project but wish he had made bolder choices to the story (especially with the internal plot for Ellen.) I was on a Lolita deep dive and her having an unhappy ending in the novel feels like the point, so I don’t know why I was as disappointed as I was with Ellen’s melancholia and her greater role towards saving humanity. It didn’t land for me but it felt like the logical conclusion.
I think its prob the best adaptation of this Iconic story ever made!
Finally someone said it
I was SO excited for this one and was SO disappointed. The storyline was non-existent. No origin story of Ellen and Orlok. Ellen was just lonely, had a family and everything, but called out for a savior and that summoned Orlok? That's all of an origin story we get in over 2 hours? And Orlok dies because he just forgets what time of day it was? Ellen didn't trick him or manipulate him at all and he goes to her at his own will right at morning? And no fight with Thomas or anyone? The characters except Orlok and Ellen actually didn't matter at all to the storyline. So the story was all foretold in the book they found in the realtor's office which wasn't even at the end of the movie and we just needed to sit and wait for the fate foretold in the book to play out? Why? What's the point? Good just cancelled out evil with Ellen sacrificing herself? Okay. Great. Wonderful. I just walked away wondering what was the point of this? No message. No feelings. No storyline. But reviewers are just GUSHING over this saying it's the greatest EVER in this genre. What?! Glad you gave an honest review and you are not alone in your thoughts on this one. Bizarre. Great review though!
TRUEE it was so disgusting and sexualize especially when it came to Lily Rose!
I hope your Spider-man 3 poster isn't meant to be ironic. I still get crap whenever i mentione that i like it even though it is flawed.
Great review for the film btw haha
she talked about it in the across the spider-verse episode of her podcast and she unironically loves it!! which is very real of her ❤
💙💙
Thanks for watching!! Very much love spiderman 3 haha its one of the first movies i can remember being super obsessed with growing up and i still think it’s amazing!
I’m seeing it tomorrow and can’t wait to come back to the vid!
but I will 🙂↕️
Ooo yay hope you have fun!!
Perfectly summed up, editing, music and overall make-up perfect, Movie 3 out of 5
So did Nosferatu flip any light switches in this movie?
The 1922 and 2024 versions both helped me like the other symbiotically
i loved it but i agree with everything you said, this could’ve easily used another 20 minutes to just hold on a lot of that dread and the more disturbing elements of the movie, let some of those moments play out more
could’ve been even freakier too, adding an extra vampire or two would’ve helped
I'm personally a fan of gothic vampire films so I'll probably like or love this Robert Eggers adaptation of Nosferatu whether it's a slow burn or not.
I've seen many different opinions on this film but some of my favorite reviewers really loved it and Jeremy Johns listed Nosferatu (2024) as his favorite film of the year.
I am a massive vampire fanatic (books and movies and tv shows) Always have been since a little girl. Seen so many vamp movies. And in preparation for 2024 Nosferatu i rewatched the '22, watched the '79 film (which *shaaame* was my first time) , and rewatched 2000 Shadow of The Vampire. I always loved the '92 Coppola film and i have read Stokers book multiple times in my life
In was so excited for this movie. I love Robert Eggers other movies. And i saw Nosferatu just yesterday and while i do like it...there are also lots of things i feel mixed about 🫣🫣🫣 however, my thoughts also are "i wanna see this movie AGAIN!" So..yeah..that is that.
But..visuals aside.."yeah..beautiful scenery yadayada"... somewhere in the middle i thought..pfffff.. it dragged for me...a bit.. and the pacing was...off at times. And there are just some other things i can't put into words yet 🤔
So i loved your video here ❤ a video that is not all that oooh and aaaah so positive 😅
This film was definitely targeted towards the Arthouse crowd. Eggers' favorite films include Andrei Rublev which, if you showed it to the average American today, they would call it boring slop. In reality it's one of the greatest films ever made.
I personally loved Nosferatu, I think it's my favorite Eggers film so far. Definitely better than the Northman, on par with The Witch and The Lighthouse.
I had the exact same experience. I am a giant Robert eggers fanboy, I think the lighthouse and the witch are masterpieces. I like the Northman but didn’t love it on that level. This one I really just thought my hype got in the way? But on second viewing I adore the atmosphere but the scenes feel so rushed and to the point, yet I was still bored? I nearly dozed off in the theatre twice when watching it. Most the dialogue for me always felt like it was being read off a piece of paper instead of performed. Even though lily rose depp did great it still felt a bit one dimensional. Overall so letdown that I can’t love this as much as other people do.
Very similar experience, I do think expectations got the better of me and in time I’ll appreciate it for what it is but it just never clicked like his first two movies did.
I liked the film a lot so I don't necessarily agree with some of your points. I loved The VVitch and really loved the historical details in this film. I think as a remake, he evolved and flushed out some of the key chapters, but have Ellen's character more agency in her decision at the end. Great art direction and cinematography.
I have to say, as a HUGE Eggers fan, this really disappointed me. Eggers doesn’t do scripted storytelling well. He’s a visual story teller, imagery. His story here felt short. The main characters going in circles about, “Plague! Science!… Plague!” By the second act I was clocked out 😑. Nosferatu was a great character but not enough to carry the movie. Big disappointment. 4/10
Totally agree! My family loved it but I left the film thinking it should’ve been a silent film. It would’ve been phenomenal. He struggles with dialogue big time.
After the second watching it was incredible. I got the whole thing on the second watching. It’s an experience I can’t wait to see in the theater another one or two times to get the full effect on the theaters. If it attached the Dracula franchise it could be called “the haunted girl”. A story about a girl haunted by a demon of masturbation.
How disgusting. She has sexual perversions and is fantasizing about a historical figure like it is his fault. I really don't think this sounds good at all.