Bryan Simms

This movie hits its mark. The initial misdirection, the feeling of never quite being sure of what will happen next, and the very original storyline are coupled with brilliant acting and beautifully shot scenes. Even though things are in constant motion, it does have a few lulling moments, but as a whole it is fairly engaging. Worth the watch, but likely one you'll only want to see once or twice.

A beautiful, enjoyable...miss. This movie does some things very well. First of all, the cinematography is gorgeous. The color pallets that are used to set the tone from scene to scene are spot on. The stylistic nods to the genre classics are perfectly executed from beginning to end. Wardrobe is another piece of this project that should be commended. Each outfit used throughout feels very thought out, even in ways that casual viewers may miss. What everyone is wearing in the movie tells an extremely specific story about their character. They also picked the perfect location to film. The Victorian decor is amazing. The look of this movie deserves an 'A' The castings made this movie fairly enjoyable to watch. Each character was believable in the role they were playing. The leading man was wonderfully charming, as his character demanded he be. The leading lady fit the "beautiful girl enjoying being whisked, without being in need of a whisking" mold to a fault. Subsequently, every supporting role was filled by seemingly made for the part types. It very much worked in this regard. Charm remained in charm's place, whilst the need for creepy when called upon was very well executed. I'd give this aspect of the film an 'A' as well. And it's downhill from there. The movie was promoted incorrectly. They should have left much more to the imagination. Nearly every "wow" and "woah" moment of the film is given away in the trailer. This movie could have maintained a great deal of ambiguity, and given viewers much more to look forward to. This was an occasion where knowing exactly what you're getting into was detrimental to the overall project. There were absolutely zero, "Wait...whattttt!?" moments. In a movie that could, and in my opinion should, have been built around several "wait...what" scenes, this serves as a disappointment. The next gripe I present is the lack of character development. As well as they are portrayed, the characters are underwritten. They all leave you wondering why you should care about them. Backstories are missing in large part, and those that are told are told with waning concern. At the climax of the film, I find myself not truly caring the outcome. Said climax is in part another flaw. It feels too brief in comparison to the other more drawn out acts. It also has a very low peak, narrowly rising above the rest of the film. Even the 'surprise' is given away by a character who all but tells you what is going to happen in the next scene *Spolier alert* He's not dead, but that's okay to spoil because it is spoiled in the movie itself. It gives you a very flat feeling at its conclusion. All in all, the film's biggest weakness is a lazy script. It ends up being a good portrayal of anemic storylines. These are the misses, which unfortunately drag this film down to mediocrity. Even still, it can be enjoyable to watch if you just want to pass the time with a well-played, par for the course vampire flick that had much more potential than the final product. Overall it's a "C" score from me.