The Last Voyage of the Demeter (2023)

The Last Voyage of the Demeter (2023). 1h 58m | R

“The Last Voyage of the Demeter adapts a single section of Bram Stokeru0026#39;s novel Dracula. Normally this would seem like an impossible task, as most two-hour movies based on books cover the entire novelu0026#39;s events. However, Andre Ovredal, the cast, and the rest of the crew behind this movie managed to make it a well-paced movie that, even without knowledge of the original source material, stands on its own.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eFor starters, the cast as a whole is great. Corey Hawkins gives an amazing performance as Clemens, the shipu0026#39;s doctor and filmu0026#39;s protagonist, Liam Cunningham as Captain Eliot has several powerful moments throughout, David Dastmalchian is almost unrecognizable as first mate Woljchek, and Woody Norman as the young boy Toby gives a great performance on par with the other three. And even though these are the only four I name, none of the other cast members give anything less than a very good performance.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe design of the Demeter is also spectacular. The interior of the ship has an ominous air to it that eventually seeps onto the deck, even during the brighter day scenes. The shipu0026#39;s crew also has a system of knocking on the shipu0026#39;s wood, which carries the sound to send messages, setting up some well-crafted scenes of tension. That work extends to the special effects used to bring Dracula to life. Here he takes on a more beastly design rather than his more classy/noble one popularized by Bela Lugosi, and the bat-like look as he crawls, climbs, and flies add to his terrifying air, especially when he sinks his teeth into his victims.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eI would also be remiss to not mention the amazing score by Bear McCreary. Although most noticeable when it gets louder to match the more tension-filled scenes of panic among the crew, the score is still amazing and only further adds to the feeling of dread the rest of the movie purveys. And even when there is no music, the performances from the actors carry that dread from their first appearance to the end of the film.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIf I had any complaints, it would just be about the lack of gore near the end. Many of the earlier kills have some good effects, but by the end of the film anyone who dies does so in a tamer manner. It doesnu0026#39;t detract too much from the horror elements, but gore-lovers will likely leave the movie disappointed.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eI would recommend going to see this film in theaters, especially if you like horror. The ending of the film has the possibility to lead into a sequel–which would most likely work, since the voyage of the Demeter in the book happens in the middle–and I would trust Ovredal to continue adapting Dracula.”