Thunderstorms, some heavy during the morning hours, then skies turning partly cloudy during the afternoon. High around 85F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 1 to 2 inches of rain expected..
A few clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 68F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph.
Updated: September 22, 2023 @ 4:47 am
There’s a new movie about Dracula. It’s called “Last Voyage of the Demeter.” Here’s some of its story.
It is 1897 and we are in a Bulgarian seaport. A university educated Englishman named Clemmons (Corey Hawkins) wants to go back to Albion. He is hired as a sailor on the sailing ship in the title when another hand quits after seeing that one of the large crates in the cargo is marked with Count Dracula’s logo.
As he has had medical training, Clemmons is consulted about a series of on-board deaths. Besides all the livestock, one after another of the mariners turn up dead, with bloody wounds at their throats. “Evil is aboard.”
A young woman is pulled out of one of the crates. Clemmons gives her blood transfusions, and she eventually revives. She confirms some of what the surviving crew has figured—that a vampire is aboard.
The seafarers Try protecting themselves during the night, but guys keep dying. Half of them look like Steve Zahn and half like the cast of “Mafia Mama.”
Eventually the cook tries out one of the possible ways of escaping. He takes a lifeboat, but Nosferatu flies down on him and the lifeboat returns to the ship empty. The Captain’s grandson, a likable cabin boy, is bitten and, when the son reaches him, he catches fire.
Finally, nearing Whitby (apparently they didn’t care for the southern coast), the sailors nail their cargo (they must still believe the vampire is sleeping in a crate) down. The first mate takes an ax and begins to scuttle the ship, figuring to drown the blood-sucker.
This is a pretty solid film in several ways. The budget has been spent giving the production a specific look. The cast is competent, and the dialog isn’t embarrassing—though nit pickers might cringe when they hear “the University of Cambridge.”
There is a little jolt late when the voice-over narration seems to be delivered by Clemmons. Up until then the narration had been the Captain’s reading of his own log. This is a reference to Bram Stoker’s novel “Dracula,” which has a chapter of Captain’s log entries.
“Last Voyage” has some of the atmosphere one associates with Dracula stories. The nights are dark and storm. There’s thick fog in one scene. The monster looks about right—we see the spade headed, vaguely reptilian and with great bat wings.
The plot is a little less authentic seeming than are the settings, but the script has been “crafted” so that it fulfills the moviegoer’s expectations. The characters who are going to be featured are introduced in greater detail.
Clemmons in particular gets a little special treatment. He has the only healthy-looking skin of any of the characters, for example.
He has an amount of self-control that we could attribute to his superior education.
“Last Voyage of the Demeter” isn’t the sort of movie that is directed at the educated, though. You don’t even have to remember what Edith Hamilton said Demeter was. Nope. If you aren’t thrown by the shift from one voice over narrator to another, this film is going to go down smooth.
Sorry, there are no recent results for popular commented articles.
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
