It wouldn't make much sense to compare this efx heavy remake to the black and white original (an unauthorized rip-off of Dracula). But I couldn't help comparing this to Herzog's 1979 version and would recommend any fan of this movie who hasn't already seen that one to check it out. Here's why:
Unlike Lily Depp, Isabelle Adjani projected a vulnerability that made her sacrifice all the more brave.
Eggers' screenplay basically just dresses up the original with some long-winded dialog, particularly dragging the last half out to annoying lengths. His biggest changes were the addition of shock efx imagery inserted at critical moments to amp up the horror. For me, they had the opposite effect - distracting reminders that we were watching an "artsy" film.
The CGI enhancements add some stunning visuals in places, but by lessening the authenticity they lower the horror aspect. For example, in Herzog's version, seeing thousands of real rats flooding the dock (a marvel of animal wrangling) evokes the utter horror of the moment while
the rats in the new version just look like background rats in a video game.
Eggers' biggest strength is his eye for detail. The costumes are gorgeous. The settings as well. The film comes alive when Hoult arrives in Eastern Europe. The gypsy and peasant scenes are the best in the movie.
Ralph Ineson is excellent. The rest of the cast is good. I found Depp too cold and unlikeable from the start. I gave up trying to catch all her whispery dialog, ditto for the garbled rumblings of Nosferatu in a few scenes.
This film will no doubt be more enjoyable to those who haven't previously seen Herzog's, as it will seem more original and the drawn-out scenes less laborious.
I should add I'm a huge fan of The Witch and I appreciated much that was good in this film. It just wasn't a grand slam for me.
