Universal Research had a bad year with the adaptation of various parts of the book. Draculaby Bram Stoker. renfield, written by Chris McKee, failed to recoup its investment and was a critical and financial failure. Now, Demeter’s last journeywritten by André Øvredal, based on a chapter of the novel, was a new disappointment despite attempts to mix gore cinema with a classic vampire story.
Demeter’s last journey cannot turn the path of the Russian schooner that gave it its name into a version stranger, Ridley Scott, but at sea. The film doesn’t make as good use of shadows and tight spaces as the sci-fi classics. Instead, the chaos of screams, decapitated heads, and spilled blood cannot hide Braga’s weak screenplay by F. Shut and Zack Olkiewicz. No intention to tell a story, just a disaster caused by a monster on board, the plot is so general it’s disappointing.
Dracula is just an excuse to create a gothic vibe in a series of badly edited scenes with no personality. good part Demeter’s last journey it happens between rain and darkness, for the sole purpose of trying to maintain the atmosphere. In fact, the movie decides to show very little of the creature in order to solve the mystery. And it takes a long time to reveal his vampire version of Stoker, whose appearance bears a clear resemblance to Nosferatu Friedrich Murnau.
In an attempt to hide that the digital effects aren’t the best, the harshest scenes are rendered in a blurry mix of darkness and gusty storms. So for most of the movie, the beast is nothing more than a series of images of a bald head, fangs and claws.
Demeter’s last journey
André Ovredal’s film tries to mix gothic horror with a vampire story. But it is not. Instead, he tells a hasty story about a monster that manages to corner unsuspecting victims. Without delving into their motives, the stories of their main characters, or the nature of the attacking creature. All wasted in the adaptation of one of the most interesting chapters of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Ultimately, the film is a collection of gory scenes that even betray the historical significance of the classic Count, whom he is trying to pay homage to.
Bad horror story
The resource could work if the feature film told its story better. Problem Demeter’s last journey the fact is that his conflict is revealed from the first minutes, and he must find a way to explain how the massacre that he shows happened. But the script only deals with a series of gruesome murders, without paying any attention to its characters, without giving them depth or meaning to their deaths.
In the second half, the narrative seeks to figure out who is responsible for the killings, what the dragon-symbolic boxes he carries mean, and to connect it all to the novel from which it is taken. All this time the captain Elliot (Liam Cunningham) and first mate Voychek (David Dastmalchian) Try to stop the panic of the crew.
There are so many flaws in the narrative that the fate of the victims, who find themselves in a hopeless trap with a bloodthirsty essence, is not in the spotlight. The whole story takes place between screams in the night, a shadow that turns into a ghostly figure, and flashes of blood. Superficial and without the slightest coherence, Demeter’s last journey it reaches its final stretch as a collection of disillusioned action scenes. No one has the power to defeat the monster, although the script hints that a frightened group of characters is about to do so.
Science, blood and monsters
One of the few interesting elements of the film is the struggle between science and superstition in an attempt to stop the vampire. This ranges from philosophical debates about evil to the suggestion that a monster is a being that can be harmed. The film makes a connection with Bram Stoker’s book that picks up the same thing, giving it some good moments. But it never goes away from there. It cannot be a fictional horror film or pay homage to the mythical monster that plays a major role in its story.
What we regret is that Demeter’s last journey don’t explore their strongest points. Instead, he uses outright blood from spilled entrails and severed heads to avoid getting into more difficult terrain. Despite allusions, the nature of the violent creature or the fate of the killings on board is never delved into. Because of what you quickly lose interest.
The film will disappoint any fan of the vampire and horror genre. He failed to surprise by adapting a classic fairy tale and also by trying to give a modern twist to a traditional monster. Eventually, it becomes a spectacle of sheer violence without any reason to justify it.
Source: Hiper Textual
