By “The Witch,” “The Lighthouse” and “The Northman” filmmaker Robert Eggers delivers his fourth film shortly with “Nosferatu,” a reimagining of the classic F.W. Murnau-directed silent German 1922 feature which itself was an adaptation or Bram Stoker’s “Dracula”.
A passion project for Eggers, he has been trying to make this one for years and then finally got to move forward with it – his cast including the likes of Bill Skarsgård, Nicholas Hoult, Lily-Rose Depp, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Emma Corrin, Ralph Ineson, Simon McBurney, and Willem Dafoe.
The reviews are in and so far are interesting. It’s hitting a 94% (8.2/10) on Rotten Tomatoes compared with the the 90-91% scores his three previous films all hovered in. On Metacritic it’s at 80/100 while his previous films hovered in the 82-84 range. In other words, it’s about on par.
Here’s a sampling of review quotes:
“Eggers reinterprets Murnau’s seminal work as a psychosexual gothic tragedy that transforms this adaptation into a mesmeric macabre masterpiece.” – Meagan Navarro, Bloody Disgusting
“This is an elaborate, detailed love letter to the original, intelligently respectful and faithful.” – Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian
“It’s thrilling to experience a movie so assured in the way it builds and sustains fear, so hypnotically scary as it grabs you by the throat and never lets go.” – David Rooney, THR
“This Count Orlock is a gruesome monstrosity, gnawed on and gnarled, as repulsive as movie monsters get. But he is now also that sexual creature, a hypermasculine 1970s porn star, as virile as he is virulent.” – William Bibbiani, The Wrap
“Eggers’ broadly suggestive script doesn’t put too fine a point on the specifics of Ellen’s repression, but Depp’s revelatory performance ensures that the rest of the movie doesn’t have to.” – David Ehrlich, Indiewire
“Bloodcurdling to the last delicious drop, Nosferatu is extraordinarily compelling, one of the best films of the year, and an unforgettable, phantasmagoric experience for theaters that will astonish.” – Rodrigo Perez, The Playlist
“What really separates Eggers’ Nosferatu from the flock is how deeply it explores the images and themes of vampire lore. There aren’t many Dracula films that give you so much to sink your teeth into.” – Nicholas Barber, BBC
“Sumptuously realized and terminally self-serious, it’s the culmination of everything Eggers has been working towards in his career so far — for better and for worse.” – Katie Rife, AV Club
“Nosferatu builds to a tragic finale, but is weighed down by pretentious dialogue, somnolent pacing and weak performances, especially that of Lily-Rose Depp as the doomed damsel” – Peter DeBruge, Bariety
The 133-minute R-rated film is slated to hit cinemas on Christmas Day.
The post The “Nosferatu” Reviews Are In appeared first on Dark Horizons.
