Kidnapped from his family by the Turks, Vlad Tepes becomes the Impaler, a bloodthirsty and merciless warrior feared by all. Returning to Transylvania, he decides to repent and rule in peace among his people, his wife Mirena and their son. But when the Turks threaten to exterminate his people, he makes a pact with a diabolical creature who hides in the mountains of his country. Vlad become superhuman, capable of destroying his enemies and defending his subjects at the risk of losing his own humanity …

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What’s the use of exploiting yet again the undying myth of vampires and the formidable Count Dracula, which seems to be rereleased in obscure movie theaters at regular intervals like a tired, old-fashioned tune? Swept in on the wave of origin stories launched by Christopher Nolan’s Batman, the famous undead count returns in a new adventure that is as colorless as his skin. Overblown special effects, terrible dialogue, uninspired casting, low-rent dramaturgy: Dracula Untold has all the qualities of a B-list series for the most rabid fans, who are surely the only ones interested in massive, spectacular attacks by bats and other cheesy scenes. What’s left is a multitude of hollow scenes filmed without style in banal settings, while the camera stays far too long on the charmless face of the mediocre Luke Evans. The ending, right out of bad TV, shamelessly hints at a sequel sure to be as bereft of imagination as the original, reviving a character that should have been sent into retirement long ago.