THE LAST VOYAGE OF THE DEMETER: Dracula On Cruise Control
It’d be easy to see how a film could be crafted around one chapter of Dracula. Focusing on the ship transport of the titular monster, having the iconic vampire pick off the crew would make for a solid horror film. The slasher angle could work so well for posing Dracula more like the creature from Alien.
But The Last Voyage of the Demeter rests perhaps too much on the premise alone. Everything is there for a great horror film, complete with the claustrophobic setting, night’s darkness, and the grim presence of Dracula, which appears more demonic than devious. So why doesn’t it feel like it steers toward the heart of fascinating terror?
The Unfortunate Crew
What hinders such a film is that we have so much time to spend on this story and don’t get to know enough about the characters. We get the barebones to understand their motivations and care about them. We learn of the underdog Doctor Clemens (Corey Hawkins), the stern Captain Elliot (Liam Cunningham), his aspiring grandson Toby (Woody Norman), and the eager-for-promotion first mate Wojchek (David Dastmalchian).
The men of the Demeter feel as though they’re never given enough room to breathe. Clemens is unique in how he talks about being discriminated against for the color of his skin and how that racist mindset still lingers in the crew. This issue only comes up a few times and seems lost when Clemens speaks with the Captain with a platitude about finding the meaning of life, another angle that feels woefully explored.
This inexplicable nature carries with all the characters. Some are highly superstitious about a demon being aboard, going so far as to get accusatory. Others try to find logical reasons for the livestock’s massive bite marks on their necks. But the mounting conflict of the crew only seems to boil up when called for and simmer to stability when the next shift and next kill is soon to follow.
A Darker Dracula
Dracula’s presence is at least compelling by keeping him as a mysterious monster lurking in the shadows. Javier Botet disappears into the role of a vampire and is more bat than man as he hunts above and below the ship. He gets creative in how he strings his kills on the sails and corners crew members for his midnight snack. He even lets them suffer by transforming crewmembers into his slaves, doomed to be consumed by the sun come morning.
But a little neck munching goes a long way before the kills lose their allure. It’s not for lack of trying considering the variety in locations and staging. A highlight is when Dracula corners somebody in their bedroom and finds clever ways to conceal and pounce for the kills. I just wish the rest of the kills were as compelling.
A Rusty Voyage
The care put into this production is so loving that it frustrates how it doesn’t land further than a slasher progression. The detailed innards of the ships and the harsh weather set the dark tone well. So why don’t I care as much for the characters trying and failing to keep the manifest from reaching zero?
There are elements of a great film here that fail to ferment fully. Consider how the film adds the mysterious Anna (Aisling Franciosi). She enters the picture as Dracula’s pet/snack and exits as a gun-toting badass. I love the scenes of her readying shotguns and taking charge, but all she has to discuss is Dracula. Only shades of her pathos shine through the dark staging as the plot rockets towards her, blasting doors open and shooting the rampaging vampire at just the right moment.
Average Evil
Given the lightness of the material adapted, the film feels strangely elongated, with its bare-bones plot running two hours. We spend so much time on the voyage, yet we barely get enough time to settle with the characters. For a film that boasts an intro of what part of the book is being evoked, it could stand to take the wheel and steer us more towards loving the crew than waiting to see if Dracula will or won’t make it to London.
Instead, the film slogs along on its predictable trek. No greater focus on spirituality, paranoia, bigotry, or despair is divided in exchanges as razor-thin on development as the rations. If the film wanted to be a Dracula slasher, it feels upsetting to be taunted with undeveloped potential.
Conclusion: The Last Voyage of the Demeter
Demeter turns in a light Dracula voyage too bound by its stock itinerary to sail into more adventurous waters. It goes about the motions one would expect from this scenario and never rocks the boat too hard on its premise. All the film leaves the audience with is a slew of Dracula kills.
Dracula himself best sums up this picture. Not yet complete and starving to be something more than a demonic beast who can only roar and rip flesh. He comes off like a generic monster in a generic monster movie, less like a vampire known for his devious and manipulative nature. Dracula may fare well at sea, but his film mostly sinks under its weight of cliche-strewn course.
The Last Voyage of the Demeter was released in theaters on August 11, 2023!
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