Dracula Untold?

For some reason, this weekend I was reminded that Universal wanted to do a cinematic universe thing with their monsters. I was looking into when that was going to start....and it apparently already did. Two years ago.

What....?

I've never even heard of it, nor of any other upcoming universal monster flicks. I'm guessing it was bad?

Anyone know anything about this?

I watched about 20 minutes of it. One of those lifeless, turgid genre films that may play OK when it's 2am and you are kind of half-watching, but I can't imagine sitting down to actually pay attention to it.

I've seen it. Its not a horror movie or a monster movie or even a vampire movie. Its a superhero origin story for Dracula. Wasn't horrible, but wasn't Iron Man either.

FORTRESS OF HORROR 12.5 - Dracula Untold

This movie is balls.

SCARE RATING ISN'T WORKING
OVERALL RATING - Balls

This is the kind of movie we watch when my wife and I feel like watching a ridiculously dumb movie. And yes, this movie was both dumb and ridiculous. Yeah, it kind of is a monster superhero origin movie. I can't say I remember anything about it, so perhaps a little too bland.

Now I, Frankenstein on the other hand with Aaron Eckhart as the monster fighting with angelic gargoyles and demons who are both fighting over control for him, is pretty brilliant in his ridiculousness.

Michael Barnes wrote: I watched about 20 minutes of it. One of those lifeless, turgid genre films that may play OK when it's 2am and you are kind of half-watching, but I can't imagine sitting down to actually pay attention to it.

Shame. I had high hopes for this as a franchise concept. So much potential, so little existing backstory or expectations to hold it in check. And I must admit to loving Van Helsing: brainless big-screen entertainment at its best. Monsters everywhere!

Let's hope The Mummy reboot holds up better.

Or that Frankenstein reboot with Javier Bardem as the monster.

I think I heard/read somewhere that I, Frankenstein is supposed to be part of the Universal Monsters shared universe. Have they abandoned the shared universe concept or are they intent on fucking up the Wolfman, too?

Are studios still chasing that Marvel-style shared universe?? For a while there, it seemed like everyone had big, ambitious plans to copy Marvel, but most of them fizzled out. Sony bailed on their Spiderman universe when they gave Spidey back to Marvel Studios. I think Fox had visions of an "X-Men / Fantastic Four" thing, but they screwed up that last F4 movie so badly that you'll likely never see another F4 movie for decades. The Universal Monster thing seems dead in the water already. DC ... well, nobody knows what the fuck DC is doing. Marvel makes it look easy, but I guess maybe it's not.

Universal's chairman, in a November interview, stated that the new films would be more action-adventure based rather than horror, and would be set in a present-day setting in order to "reimagine and reintroduce them to a contemporary audience."

Dracula Untold 2014 (i.e. the only one released so far)
The Mummy 2017
Wolf Man 2018
unknown 2019
Van Helsing TBA
Creature from the Black Lagoon TBA
Bride of Frankenstein TBA
Invisible Man TBA
Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde TBA
Frankenstein TBA

Looks like they'll be ruining the Universal monsters for the next decade.

Mad Dog wrote:

Universal's chairman, in a November interview, stated that the new films would be more action-adventure based rather than horror, and would be set in a present-day setting in order to "reimagine and reintroduce them to a contemporary audience."

Dracula Untold 2014 (i.e. the only one released so far)
The Mummy 2017
Wolf Man 2018
unknown 2019
Van Helsing TBA
Creature from the Black Lagoon TBA
Bride of Frankenstein TBA
Invisible Man TBA
Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde TBA
Frankenstein TBA

Looks like they'll be ruining the Universal monsters for the next decade.

I doubt it. If they aren't any good, I really don't think they'll make any money, as Dracula Untold didn't. The monsters don't have the same draw that DC does, which is not only so popular that complete and utter shit makes money hand over fist, but also manages to convince a decent chunk of their audience that their movies are good (though I credit that to fans not wanting to feel disloyal to the brand). Dracula *TANKED* IIRC. All it will take is a couple duds and this schedule goes out the window.

reimagine and reintroduce them to a contemporary audience.

That phrase is a synonym for "aggravated sodomy".

You don't have to "reimagine and reintroduce" things that are classic and timeless, anyone that thinks you do is a fucking idiot.

To hell with all of this shared universe shit, Marvel did it and did it well but beyond that it's just another iteration of mash-up culture.

Van Helsing was awful, but at least it was shameless in its terribleness. And it did have that one great bit with Frankenstein choking a werewolf.

Josh Look wrote: I doubt it. If they aren't any good, I really don't think they'll make any money, as Dracula Untold didn't. The monsters don't have the same draw that DC does, which is not only so popular that complete and utter shit makes money hand over fist, but also manages to convince a decent chunk of their audience that their movies are good (though I credit that to fans not wanting to feel disloyal to the brand). Dracula *TANKED* IIRC. All it will take is a couple duds and this schedule goes out the window.

I agree, but for the record Dracula Untold cost 70M and made 217M worldwide.

The Mummy one has Tom Cruise in it. Universal is pretty serious about it because the Cruise Missile doesn't come cheap.