Bullet Points: The Last Voyage of the Demeter
It’s officially Halloween season and even us action genre degenerates love getting in on the horror action! What would horror season be without another Dracula film? I know that I get all fired up when period films and horror find that sweet spot where it makes the most sense and there isn’t another character out there who fits the bill for a period film like Dracula. Throw in Liam Cunningham and I am so in….
Synopsis: A crew sailing from Varna (Bulgaria) by the Black Sea to England find that they are carrying very dangerous cargo.
- A Story as old as time: Most of us know the story about Dracula by now, or at least the stories we’ve seen in other films. This movie doesn’t spend much time, or really any at all, in backing up anything with origin flashbacks or long ago tales. I respect that in a movie. It reminds me a lot of my favorite movie of all time, Predator. If you remember, we knew next to nothing about the killing machine until the quiet, lone female filled us in on some backstory. Be ready for more of that.
- Meet the Crew: Captain Eliot (Liam Cunningham) and his son are on their last voyage on board the Demeter. His first mate Wojchek (David Dastmalchian) is set to take over after his retirement into the good life and they are taking on new crew for the voyage. Among that new crew is Brit Clemons (Corey Hawkins), whose education and skills as a doctor seem beyond valuable for his type of work but it’s also clear his blackness has kept him from getting more prestigious jobs.
- Bloodletting: Along with the new crew members on board the Demeter, there are also a bunch of wooden crates. You and I both know what is in those crates and when the first crate is opened to reveal a young woman, business starts to pick up. Clemons nurses her back to health with blood transfusions but something else has awoken….and he’s hungry.
- Lady victim: Played by Aisling Franciosi, Anna (Hey, just like Predator!) comes to with just enough time to tell everyone they’re about to die. What a buzzkill! She fills them in on Dracula and how he’s been sucking the blood out of her entire village for many years. She was essentially given to him to feed on in order to protect the rest of her people. Massive dick move.
- So much for the bonus: The crew goes from talking about how they’re going to be spending their bonus money on whores to getting their necks ripped open and sucked dry in other ways. Director Andre Ovredal is quoted as saying this film is “basically Alien on a ship in 1897″. To be honest, that is the best description that I’ve seen so far.
- Last Stand: The final remaining crew members set themselves up and prepare to face the demon vampire for the last few nautical miles. I supposed it would have been much easier to kill him during the day but for some reason they aren’t able to do it. In the night, though, we really get to see Dracula fly around and fuck shit up. It’s by far my favorite parts of the film.
The Verdict: I had a lot of fun with The Last Voyage of the Demeter. It was pretty much exactly what I expected based on the trailer and those involved. Speaking of that, I love me some Liam Cunningham. He has one of the most trustworthy voices I’ve ever heard. Corey Hawkins is the real star of the film as he does battle against the legendary monster. He’s also got a pretty good set-up for a future project if this ever made enough money to warrant one. I do think it’s the perfect movie for Halloween season and maybe exactly the type of film that would give new life to the Dracula character.
