Nosferatu

Horrible, horrific and heartbreaking. Everything that it was supposed to be and more. Egger’s yet again proving his understanding of folklore, removing the glorified version of vampires as the world had come to know them. The film rips away any form of positivity you could have towards Orlok- leaving you feeling repulsed and disgusted by him with absolutely zero redeeming qualities. The first true Strigoi in cinema and nobody could have done it but Egger’s. Bill is unrecognizable both vocally and visually. Lily-Rose is haunting, magnetic and terrorized through not only her dreams but her reality. Nicholas Holt is the perfect Thomas Hutter, as the grief and horror consumes him. Von Franz provides a voice for Ellen, camaraderie, and an opportunity to act as she must- without restraint. Costume design by Linda Muir was something I cannot even put into words. Ellen’s mourning-wear exceeded my expectations and my only sadness came from not seeing her lilac evening ensemble longer than it deserved. The soundtrack was perfection, giving me chills on several occasions and being the perfect background to each haunting shot.

If you are looking for some form of romanticism in the story, this is not your film. The torment is perfectly repulsive and this will be your truest insight to what people of 1838 truly believed the vampire to be. There is nothing about this story that does not make you want to burst into tears for Ellen or detest Orlok to the highest degree. Perfect, perfect, perfect.

Nosferatu (2024) is a fine film that misses the mark slightly while still being a visually pleasing journey through dread.

The good: The scenery, lighting, and some performances created a treat for the eyes. The monster itself is imposing, memorable, and represents a powerful force of nature. Our introduction to Nosferatu in particular does an good job of creating a monster that moves like a predator just beyond our field of vision, who defies the senses and exudes power. Nicholas Hoult does a fine job as a mild-mannered but resolute lead. Ralph Ineson and Willem Defoe are a welcome couple of side characters. To top those things off, the movie itself is paced thoughtfully and deliberately toward its end. The conclusion is powerfully acted and obeys its own in-universe rules. The special and practical effects were all believable from the clothing of the bourgeious to the movie monster's long imposing fingers.

The Bad:

The performances from some characters was off-putting and created the appearance that the actors themselves did not understand the intent behind their lines. Anna Harding's performance appears as one of a high-schooler quoting Shakespeare unsuccessfully while Aaron Taylor-Johnson gave a poor performance in most scenes he was in, coming across as an impotent shadow of the character he was meant to portray.

The lore given in 2024's Nosferatu vs 1929's Nosferatu is expanded upon clumsily, such that the new lore is a mess compared to the sparse details given in the original film. In 2024's version, Lily-Rose Depp's character Ellen had been plagued by Nosferatu her entire life, which creates confusing motivational descriptions for Nosferatu, who only pursued Ellen after her marriage to Thomas (Nicholas Hoult). Atop that, the plot's resolution is strange--one crew goes on an apparently useless adventure while Ellen stays behind to save the day. 2024's version chose not to capitalize on Ellen's self-sacrifice as a 'big reveal', which does not detract from the film itself, but may be perceived as a missed opportunity to showcase strength from goodness in such a selfless way (truthfully, both Mina Harker and Ellen Hutter are characters on whom directors seem to miss capitalizing--but that's a story for another time.)

At risk of comparing 1929's version to 2024's version, a subtheme was lost involving the power of sunlight in dispelling fears, which also feels like a miss as this subtheme was not replaced by anything in the modern version.

The medium: Lilly-Depp Rose as Ellen delivers a fine performance but underdelivers at crucial moments in the film which were then compounded by confusing directional choices which made Ellen appear to be possessed at certain moments in the film. The choreography at those moments in time look awkward--not so much as to ruin the movie, but enough so that you'll be pulled a little into uncanny valley or have your immersion broken. Ellen's virtuous character is muted from the original 1929 film which is unfortunate, however Ellen's interactions with Nosferatu itself are very strong and powerfully acted, creating very high peaks and offputting lows throughout the film.

Overall: This film is gorgeous. It is worth a watch or two. It may even find itself loved among a fervent many, but it is not without it's share of problems. While I had high hopes, this movie will likely not be among those I purchase for home use despite hitting many tones I enjoy.