An absolutely amazing homage to the F.W. Murnau classic…

Faith| What an interesting update to the original film…

Belle| Yes, it truly was. I went in with no expectations since I love the original so much but this was fantastic. Let’s break it down.

The Plot
Belle| For those who are unfamiliar, Nosferatu is based on Bram Stoker’s Dracula but, at the time, F. W. Murnau didn’t have the rights to use the character and what he came up with instead is a black and white fever dream of pure terror that has haunted me since the first time I saw it. Robert Eggers adaptation is a faithful recreation of that film that expands on the characters a great deal.

Faith| To that point, the very same things that frustrated me in the original film frustrated me here: I hate when a character sees or hears things that are off and still chooses to keep going towards the situation that’s making them uncomfortable in their hind brain.

Belle| It does seem like this is an ongoing theme in the films we see together. Truly, I cannot emphasize this enough: if you feel like something is off, listen to your instincts. It will save you, and in this case your entire town, a world of hurt. One of the most annoying aspects of both films is that so much of the awfulness that happens would have been prevented if sweet, innocent Thomas could read the language, was familiar with the culture or at least knew enough to recognize the word for danger.

As it is, both of our leads, Thomas and his wife Ellen, have no idea of the forces that are surrounding them and that ignorance brings down a literal plague upon them and their closest friends…and then Orlok shows up.

The Performances
Belle| Let’s talk about the performances. For me I did not go into this with high expectations. It seems like, this year in particular, there’s been a slate of films where the cast is phenomenal and yet the performances are terrible or the performances were fantastic but the writing didn’t serve the actors at all. To top that off, this film has Lily-Rose Depp as its lead actress and I’m going to be honest, everything I’ve ever seen her in she’s…there. Dead eyed and boring. That being the case I went into this for everyone else in the  cast but specifically Emma Corrin, Nicholas Hoult and Aaron Taylor-Johnson because I know, no matter how good, bad or in between the film is they’re going to give me wonderful work.

Faith| And of course the powerhouses of Willem Dafoe and Ralph Ineson.

Belle| Exactly, so I wasn’t expecting much but damned if Lily-Rose Depp didn’t deliver. There’s a steeliness and sensuality to her performance that is so needed to play this character. Whether her name is Ellen or Mina this character in all the best adaptations has to have an inner strength that shines from the first moment on screen and she accomplishes that.

Faith| I didn’t know who she was so I had no pre-conceived notions and she was superb. Very raw and vulnerable when she needed to be and terrifyingly focused when the time comes. It’s an outstanding performance and her physicality was amazing.

Belle| They also do a good job of not making the men in this movie either dumb as rocks or willfully obtuse about what’s going on. Dr. Sievers almost immediately figures out that what’s happening with Ellen is connected to the other oddities he’s observed. More importantly, he’s smart enough to tell Friedrich his suspicions, realize he’s in over his head and bring in someone who is far more qualified to deal with what’s happening. As for Friedrich, this may be the first time he’s not framed as a jerk or self-involved. Instead we see him as a man at the end of his rope who knows his family is in danger because of one person. It’s smart writing.

Faith| As for our other lead, I know logically, Nicholas Hoult is not as young as he looks, but there’s a reason they cast him. He comes across as so very, painfully, sweet and earnest that you fear for him even more because you know he’s going to go through hell.

Belle| The moment he left home I was terrified for him, and that’s what you need for Thomas, you have to connect with him immediately and Hoult, under Eggers direction, achieves that. Especially because, unlike Coppola’s Dracula, Orlok is unequivocally a monster. They don’t try to romanticize him. He’s a killer, and worse, and I love that.

Faith| He’s a parasite!

Belle| Exactly and for the first time in a long time that was shown in full. He is actively stalking Ellen and Thomas and it’s never framed as some sort of love story. They give no excuses for his behavior because there are no excuses. They let him be a monster and it’s not seductive. Bill Skarsgӓrd is, as always, phenomenal but all I want is one movie where he’s not the bad guy or he doesn’t die when he is the good guy, lol.

The Look of the Film
Faith| The costuming and makeup were so well done. You can tell this film was very well researched because they nailed the time frame, down to the smallest details, like the tannenbaum tree and the earrings. In a film like this costuming, makeup and set design are paramount and they do a fantastic job.

Belle| One of my favorite things was how, even though it’s not in black and white, it feels like a black and white film. The way the colour saturates, without bleaching things out, is very deliberate and very much invokes the original film.

The Not So Good
Belle| Honestly the biggest drawback for me with this movie is the lack of backup plans in dealing with the threat. There are several points in the last half where common sense goes out the window and it peeves me deeply but it is true to the original. That and for some reason Willem Dafoe goes full Green Goblin in the last few scenes and it threw me so far out of the movie it took a moment to refocus. Especially because his character had been so analytical, calm, kind and focused, yet he absolutely believes Ellen and Thomas, no matter how bizarre the claims. For him to suddenly be so over the top was weird.

Faith| That and the film could have been trimmed by 10 minutes…

Belle| Yeah, there were a few points where I was like, ‘Okay, we get it guys…’

Final Thoughts

Overall, this was a fantastic film, a loving homage to the original, filled with gripping performances, gorgeous cinematography and fantastic costuming that’s still its own creation.

4.5 Bags of Gold out of 5

Thank you to Allied Global and Focus Features