The Last Voyage Of The Demeter Movie Review (Spoiler Free)
Taken from the chapter ‘The Captain’s Log’, from Bam Stoker’s “Dracula”, this flick sees the lord of vampires setting sails but getting lost at sea.
Genre: Horror
Director: André Øvredal
Cast: Corey Hawkins, Aisling Franciosi, Liam Cunningham, David Dastmalchian, Woody Norman, Javier Botet, Stefan Kapičić, Jon Jon Briones & Nikolai Nikolaeff.
Run Time: 118 min.
US Release: 11 August 2023
UK Release: N/A (pushed back)
German Release: 17 August 2023
Francis Ford Coppola’s 1992 adaptation of Bram Stoker’s epistolary novel “Dracula”, is one of my favourite romantic horror films. Though I never read the book itself, I was intrigued once I heard that a movie, based on the chapter ‘The Captain’s Log’, was to portray the voyage of the most famous vampire, from Bulgaria to England. The trailers did not convince me, so I went into the theatre with an uncomfortable feeling, only able to watch in German dub. So, set your sails and protect your necks, as we stalk my review for… The Last Voyage of the Demeter.
Set aboard the Russian schooner Demeter, chartered to carry 24 unmarked wooden crates from Carpathai to London, the crew soon find out that the cargo they hold is very dangerous and could well cost them their lives.
Francis Ford Coppola’s 1992 adaptation of Bram Stoker’s epistolary novel “Dracula”, is one of my favourite romantic horror films. Though I never read the book itself, I was intrigued once I heard that a movie, based on the chapter ‘The Captain’s Log’, was to portray the voyage of the most famous vampire, from Bulgaria to England. The trailers did not convince me, so I went into the theatre with an uncomfortable feeling, only able to watch in German dub. So, set your sails and protect your necks, as we stalk my review of… The Last Voyage of the Demeter.
Set aboard the Russian schooner Demeter, chartered to carry 24 unmarked wooden crates from Carpathai to London, the crew soon find out that the cargo they hold is very dangerous and could well cost them their lives.
As stated before, the premise is intriguing, simply because it is taken from a snippet of Stoker’s novel, which only hints at the terrible things that happened on the schooner’s voyage, transporting Dracula to England. This alone makes for a perfect screenplay, as it has the basic blueprint, only needing to fill the missing gaps of the log.
What makes it sound amazing, is the fact that Dracula is not the centre of the story. It focuses on the ship’s crew, with the creature being the danger these men need to confront. It looks as if Nosferatu, Alien, 30 Days at Night, as well as a splash of Master and Commander, had all been thrown into one hat. Add to that the enclosed space on a ship, and it becomes claustrophobic fast, with the horror creeping up slowly.
Regrettably, the script wasted an opportunity to make this a great companion piece to Coppola’s adaptation of the novel. The idea behind it sounds great, but the execution is completely faulty! The crew is portrayed as incompetent, missing any exploration or development. They come up with ridiculous plans, never learning from errors, or what they witnessed. The overdramatic tone doesn’t suit the genre, though worst, the trivial fighting among the characters in between attacks was carried out so slowly, I started to nod away.
It is not until the end of the second act/beginning of the third, that the plot starts kicking into a higher gear. By then, however, all interest is lost in what is happening on screen. The runtime could have been cut down by thirty minutes. Then there is the ending, which did not feel on par with the rest of the flick, hinting at an unnecessary sequel.
The dialogue gets repetitive several times, to the point of becoming tiresome at hearing the same statements, the same complaints, just as the same whining over again.
The crew on which the narrative focuses is one-dimensional without much being revealed to viewers. As such, it is difficult for audiences to bond with these people, once they begin to be hunted by the vampiric presence.
Corey Hawkins, who had left a positive impression after his role as Dr. Dre in Straight Outta Compton, is cast as the lead character Clemens, created purely for this feature. Giving a great rendition at first, as a wise man shrouded in mystery, Hawkins' portrayal falls apart quickly, as he becomes whiny and annoying. A man marked by the times he lives in, due to the colour of his skin, he starts to sound like a broken record, as he keeps repeating throughout the movie that he MUST understand the world. Hawkins has solid interactions with young actor Norman, though his chemistry with co-actress Aisling Franciosi is lacking.
Aisling Franciosi plays Anna, a persona that bridges the past with current events happening on the ship. I do not want to say much more, as it would spoil the film. Her acting is solid, though her character too repeats herself in what she says. Then there is Woody Norman, a child actor portraying the Captain’s grandson Toby, giving a surprisingly good portrayal.
Liam Cunningham, who most will probably recognise mostly from Game of Thrones, plays Captain Elliot, in what he is planning to be his last voyage, as he is ready to retire to take care of his grandson. It comes as a blow that his character isn’t further fleshed out, as he is the most interesting.
David Dastmalchian gives a stand-out performance, as Demeter's first mate, Wojchek. Alas, he is yet another crew member who isn’t given enough screen time.
The cinematography is most probably the best part of the whole movie! It uses suspense to build up tension slowly, plus depth of field to blur a moving figure, in the shadows of the background. The editing is solid as well, giving the imagery time to breathe, creating a slow-burning horror novelty. Sadly, the writing is not up to par! The colour palette is dark, including a lot of blue hues, grey-green hints, just like faded tones.
The practical effects are off the charts! The creature’s prosthetics are modelled after the German silent film Nosferatu, the set design looks authentic, reflecting the period it plays in, and the wardrobe does the rest. On a practical level, it is a jaw-droppingly gorgeous picture! Unfortunately, it is ruined by the substandard CGI that creeps up every once in a while.
Bear McCreary replaced Thomas Newman as composer of the score, which includes a mix of classic eighteenth-century percussion-heavy orchestra, as well as modern terror sounds of distorted French horns. It is a great blend of a gothic and sea-fearing tale.
Verdict: I guess the title does spoil how this monster flick ends. That said, if you know the book “Dracula”, you already know what the premise will be about. This had all the ingredients to make for a great, slow-burning, creature feature on the sea. However, if you are demoting Dracula to become the creature, you need to make sure to have engaging human characters, which isn’t the case here. As such, audiences are left with a boring tale, where short segments of terror break up the nothingness on screen. A big issue, as it isn’t enough to keep viewers invested. When the plot finally kicks into high gear in its final act, it is too late. The personas are nothing more than paper-thin canon fodder for the vampire, while the lead is shrouded in mystery at the beginning, but once his backstory is revealed, it is an absolute let-down. The cinematography and editing are phenomenal, the practical effects are jaw-dropping, the call-back design of Dracula to Nosferatu is fun, yet all of that is dragged down by the less-than-mediocre CGI. It is a disappointingly boring 4.0 out of 10.
Have you seen this adaptation of Stoker’s chapter of his horror novel? If so, what do you think about it? Leave a comment below & thank you for reading!