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Dracula: The Dark Prince
R2 - United Kingdom - Kaleidoscope Home Entertainment Review written by and copyright: Samuel Scott (11th January 2014). |
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The Film
 ***This is an A/V and extras review only. For reviews on the movie from various critics, we recommend visiting HERE.*** Misunderstood, despised and hunted, Dracula (Luke Roberts) is driven to pursue an ill-fated quest for the Lightbringer - a mythical weapon dating back to the days of Cain and Abel. According to legend, only those direct descendants of Cain and Abel can wield the Lightbringer; in the hands of one it brings eternal life, in the hands of another... death. In his ruthless search for this coveted weapon, Dracula crosses paths with the beautiful crusader Alina and a further obsession is born as she becomes the object of his desire. Kidnapped and in harm's way, will the renowned and feared vampire hunter, Van Helsing (Jon Voight), be able to save her before Dracula sinks his teeth in...?
Video
Independent distributor Kaleidoscope Home Entertainment have released the low budget gothic horror "Dracula: The Dark Prince" in the United Kingdom at an aspect ratio of 1.78:1 (original aspect ratio is 1.85:1). The film uses quite a large proportion of dark locations. Because of this, you would expect shadow detail to be reasonably strong, and although it is good, it's not great. Some shadow details are blocky and sometimes blacks aren't as deep as they perhaps could be, feeling slightly soft. Despite shadow detail not always being up to scratch, close-ups look good and background location detail is strong (considering the low budget, the sets are quite impressive). The opening credits sequence is easily the highlight, using a sharp, vivid animation style which shows off some strong colours, especially reds. With it being such a recent feature, there are surprises in that there was no obvious damage to the print such as scratches or dirt. The feature runs 95:30.
Audio
There are two audio options available on the disc; English Dolby Digital 5.1 and English Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo. For obvious reasons, I opted for the 5.1 track, which was certainly adequate. All dialogue is kept to the front and central speakers, and is clear an concise at all times. The score makes full use of the surrounds, albeit in a rather formulaic mix, but I do think more could've been done with environmental and location effects. Directionality is altogether good, as is channel separation, and just like the transfer, there's no damage to be found here. It's not going to win any awards for sound editing, but it's a professionally done mix. English subtitles are available for the vampire dialect only, and is burnt-in.
Extras
The first extra is a selection of cast interviews running 7:28. Interviewed here are Richard Ashton (Andros), Ben Robson (Lucian), Holly Earl (Esme), Stephen Hogan (Renfield), Jon Voight (Van Helsing) and Luke Roberts (Dracula). They talk about their characters, what it was like to work in Romania, working with Jon Voight, and how the story differs from other Dracula stories thanks to the Cain and Abel arc. Richard Ashton's views on how this story tries to be different to the usual Dracula tropes is the highlight here. Next up, we have a featurette entitled "Building the Castle" which comes in with a very short run time of 1:34. Unfortunately, it isn't very enlightening, using a series of conceptual art to show the ideas without any sort of narration or interview clips. It's nice to have, but it's a missed opportunity. The rest of the extras are self-explanatory. Start-up Trailer: - "Richard the Lionheart" (1:52) Theatrical Trailer (1:58)
Overall
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