Moviegoers, we have a problem. And it is hard to tell who is at fault. Have moviegoers become so intelligent that no movie can match wit’? Are the current films being released so focused on aesthetics that they forget to create a meaningful plot? Either way, something is wrong, and Nosferatu is the latest example of the problem.
Nosferatu is a 2024 American gothic horror film written and directed by Robert Eggers. It is a remake of the 1922 silent film of the same name, which was an unauthorized adaptation of Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel Dracula. The film features an ensemble cast including Bill Skarsgård, Nicholas Hoult, Lily-Rose Depp, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Emma Corrin, Ralph Ineson, Simon McBurney, and Willem Dafoe.
Seeking companionship, a young Ellen, played by Lily-Rose Depp, prays for any spirit to bring her love, only to be attacked by a beastly vision, causing a seizure.
In 1838, a now-adult Ellen lives in Wisborg, Germany with her husband, estate agent Thomas Hutter. In an attempt to secure a position with the realtor, Thomas accepts an offer to sell a decrepit castle in Wisborg to the reclusive and eccentric Count Orlok, unaware that the arrangement is part of an occult pact between Orlok and his employer, Herr Knock.
1838 is amazing to see on screen. The world before cars, electricity, and the complexity of life. The set designs and wardrobes are just as good as the acting. At first glance, the audience should have no problem losing themselves as the first act gets going.
But as the action begins to draw you in, the extended periods of dialogue and plot confusion eat up a lot of time, By the second act, the music score does most of the work to try to scare the audience. For a movie that is supposed to be frightening, not much is happening. The audience only gets teased with the idea of a vampire.
As the movie continues it becomes clear that what the audience hoped for will not happen. The audience hoped that they would get scared out of their seats. That the plot would deliver on the great marketing to push the film. And finally, they hoped that their precious time spent in a movie theater would not lead to another disappointment in the current cinematic landscape of boring films.
2024-12-27
