Movie Review: ‘The Last Voyage of the Demeter’

What’s the story of ‘The Last Voyage of the Demeter’?

Corey Hawkins as Clemens in ‘The Last Voyage of the Demeter,’ directed by André Øvredal. Photo Credit: Rainer Bajo/Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment. © 2023 Universal Studios and Amblin Entertainment. All Rights Reserved.

The film follows the unusual and horrifying occasions that befall the doomed crew as they try to survive the ocean voyage of the Demeter from Transylvania to London, stalked every night time by a cruel presence onboard the ship: a legendary vampire referred to as Dracula.

When the Demeter lastly arrives off the shores of England, it’s a charred, derelict wreck. There isn’t any hint of the crew. So… Spoiler alert, we suppose?

Who is starring in ‘The Last Voyage of the Demeter’?

(L to R) Clemens (Corey Hawkins) and Anna (Aisling Franciosi) in ‘The Last Voyage of the Demeter,’ directed by André Øvredal. Photo Credit: Rainer Bajo/Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment. © 2023 Universal Studios and Amblin Entertainment. All Rights Reserved.

‘The Last Voyage of the Demeter’ stars Corey Hawkins as Clemens, a physician who joins the Demeter, Aisling Franciosi as Anna, an unwitting stowaway, Liam Cunningham as Captain Elliot, David Dastmalchian as Wojchek, the Demeter’s first mate and Javier Botet as Dracula.

The solid additionally contains Woody Norman, Jon Jon Briones, Stefan Kapičić, Nikolai Nikolaeff, Martin Furulund, Chris Walley, Nicolo Pasetti and Sally Reeve.

Does ‘The Last Voyage of the Demeter’ efficiently get its tooth into the story?

(L to R) Wojchek (David Dastmalchian), Abrams (Chris Walley) and Clemens (Corey Hawkins) in ‘The Last Voyage of the Demeter,’ directed by André Øvredal. Photo Credit: Rainer Bajo/Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment. © 2023 Universal Studios and Amblin Entertainment. All Rights Reserved.

In growth for greater than 20 years, ‘The Last Voyage of the Demeter’ started life with author Bragi F. Schut Jr., who, impressed by a mannequin of the ship created by somebody he knew for Francis Ford Coppola’s ‘Dracula’ adaptation, and by the chapter of Stoker’s novel referred to as ‘The Captain’s Log’, started writing what’s successfully a model of ‘Alien’ set at sea.

In the a long time for the reason that unique draft, it has gone by means of many writers and administrators, and has ended up within the fingers of director André Øvredal, whereas Schut scored a script credit score alongside Zak Olkewicz, who wrote the screenplays for ‘Bullet Train’ and one in all Netflix’s ‘Fear Street’ movies. And for those who had been in any respect irritated by the seemingly spoilerific synopsis, it’s value declaring that A) Stoker’s novel has been round some time; B) the villain is Dracula, and even informal horror followers know he finally ends up reaching England to proceed his bloodsucking methods and C), a title card and the film’s very opening confirms that the Demeter finally ends up wrecked and deserted on the coast of the nation.

The problem, then, is making the journey a worthwhile one, even when you already know it has a downbeat ending (the film makes an attempt to leaven that in methods we received’t discover, as a result of these are precise spoilers).

(L to R) Corey Hawkins and director André Øvredal on the set of ‘The Last Voyage of the Demeter.’ Photo Credit: Rainer Bajo/Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment. © 2023 Universal Studios and Amblin Entertainment. All Rights Reserved.

Øvredal is a stable alternative for a film of this nature, and certainly he brings numerous atmospheric creepiness to the story, his Demeter a darkish, creaking, dripping, groaning setting continuously shot in shadow or lit by dim lantern mild.

The director’s different sensible alternative was relying totally on bodily efficiency to convey Dracula to life. Hiring versatile, proficient creature performer Javier Botet (who has frightened audiences in motion pictures corresponding to ‘Crimson Peak’, ‘The Conjuring 2’ and Øvredal’s personal ‘Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark’) ensures the creature of the night time seems like a creature. And, beginning out like a toothier model of Gollum, sunken and weakened by his lack of entry to blood, this beast evolves as he is ready to snack on the crew, changing into one thing extra monstrous as he goes.

His targets are a combined bunch by way of what they’re given to do, however the standouts are Liam Cunningham because the stalwart captain who faces private tragedy, David Dastmalchian because the grouchy First Mate and Aisling Franciosi, a mysterious stowaway who has her personal connection to the fanged fiend.

Where does the film sink?

(L to R) Director André Øvredal and Liam Cunningham on the set of ‘The Last Voyage of the Demeter.’ Photo Credit: Rainer Bajo/Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment. © 2023 Universal Studios and Amblin Entertainment. All Rights Reserved.

Given its lengthy journey to the display, you may need anticipated ‘Demeter’ to sail extra nimbly away from cliches, however sadly, that’s merely not the case.

Though Øvredal actually fills it with the correct quantity of dread and stormy climate, the story itself begins to tick off all the usual, anticipated beats and components of a film corresponding to this. Granted, it’s adapting a slim chapter of a ebook written greater than 100 years in the past, however you may hope for just a little extra invention given all of the instruments on the filmmakers’ disposal.

Instead, we’re greeted with the standard screechy violins on the rating, pauses earlier than leap scares and a bunch of inventory seamen who, charitably, you shouldn’t hassle attending to know very effectively. Aside from a couple of stabs at character growth, Dracula works his means by means of the decrease ranks earlier than attending to the recognizable title actors in a vogue that –– whereas it’s partly defined away by the vampire rationing the crew in order to have sufficient human blood to feast on for the entire journey –– does moderately deflate the stress in locations, as you simply await the subsequent highest-ranking sailor to have a fateful date with fanged future.

(L to R) Anna (Aisling Franciosi) and Clemens (Corey Hawkins) in ‘The Last Voyage of the Demeter,’ directed by André Øvredal. Photo Credit: Rainer Bajo/Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment. © 2023 Universal Studios and Amblin Entertainment. All Rights Reserved.

Plus, there are the inescapable hallmarks that typically make the film really feel like a parody of a horror movie –– when a man with a scarred face and a milky eye walks off your ship speaking of dangerous omens as a result of he noticed a emblem on a crate, you already know this isn’t going to be a pleasure cruise.

Add to that the difficulty that Corey Hawkins has together with his accent. Hawkins is an completed actor, who has put in good work within the likes of ‘Straight Outta Compton’, ‘Black KkKlansman’ and ‘The Tragedy of Macbeth’, however right here he appears like his voice is on a strolling tour of the British Isles, his dialect fluctuating typically in the identical sentence. It’s distracting and detracts from one of many few really efficient characters within the film.

That, and some irritating examples of horrible decision-making from the onscreen crew (do you actually go searching for the place the creature, already established as one who hunts at night time is lurking beneath cowl of darkness?) don’t assist, however ‘Demeter’ is ready to sail previous them and works as a good sufficient horror film with some very basic trappings, for good and in poor health.

‘The Last Voyage of the Demeter’ receives 7 out of 10 stars.

A scene from ‘The Last Voyage of the Demeter,’ directed by André Øvredal. Photo Credit: Rainer Bajo/Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment. © 2023 Universal Studios and Amblin Entertainment. All Rights Reserved.

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