MPAA Rating: R/Genre: Supernatural Horror/Stars: Corey Hawkins, Aisling Franciosi, Liam Cunningham, David Dastmalchian, Javier Botet, Woody Norman, Jon Jon Briones, Stefan Kapičić, Nikolai Nikolaeff, Martin Furulund, Chris Walley, Nicolo Pasetti, Sally Reeve/Runtime: 119 minutes
I guess it shouldn’t surprise me all that much dear reader to tell you that, for as undead of a character the infamous Count Dracula managed to be in his own story, his cinematic legacy has proven to be just as seemingly eternal. I mean not only have there been movies about the Count fairly consistently since at least the 1930s, but in 2023 alone we have managed to get two of them. The first being a good but not great dark comedy called Renfield which gave us over the top actor extraordinaire Nicolas Cage as the proverbial Count in a delightful albeit co-starring turn. The second happens to be the slice of cinema I am reviewing for you today known as The Last Voyage of the Demeter and if you’re the kind of person who enjoys a take on ol’ Drac that is equal parts gory yet campy then boy are you in for a surprise here. I say that because not only is he portrayed in a manner that feels less like Bela Lugosi or Gary Oldman and more like a Nosferatu-style carnage-causing beast, but this film seems set on being less a camp and gore show and one that puts more of a concentration on atmosphere and suspense with blood and gore a’plenty along for the ride. A mix that, in the right film, could work absolute wonders….if only this was that proverbial right film. I mean don’t get me wrong: the work done on both sides of the camera is certainly serviceable and by no means sloppy thus making sure this cinematic cruise doesn’t sink all the way. At the same time, it does sadly seem like what is being given to us by both cast and crew is good yet nowhere near as great as their respective talents could have ensured it to be. Suffice it to say then that, unlike a lot of the other takes on this iconic character have managed to be over the years, this one might not stay a part of your mind for very long after the credits have begun to roll, but in all fairness not only can the same be said about a lot of the poor unfortunate souls aboard the titular ship, but by no means is this a genuinely awful entry in the horror genre. Yes there are more than a few issues to be found here, but through the aid of decent work on both sides of the camera to say nothing of a fairly effective blend of spooky anxiety and fairly well-constructed suspense, The Last Voyage of the Demeter is a decent enough popcorn horror film that I can see becoming a fine rainy day sort of film later on down the road even if it could’ve, and maybe should’ve, been a whole lot more than that.
The plot is as follows: A cinematic adaptation of a chapter known as “The Captain’s Log” from the book Dracula by Bram Stoker, The Last Voyage of the Demeter gets its cinematic displeasure cruise underway by taking us back in time to the long-ago year of 1897. It is in this year where we are quickly taken to a cargo vessel known as (get this) the Demeter. A vessel that, besides being more than fairly seaworthy, is having a few distinct difficulties as of late (and no I’m not talking about the cable being out again onboard). Rather, it would be the fact that, despite an impending and lengthy voyage from Romania all the way to London being on the horizon, the ship’s captain is having trouble ensuring he will have a fairly decent sized crew who will sail with him due to some *ahem* rather suspicious cargo being on the manifest for this particular voyage. Thankfully (?), we see that the cap is able to find a replacement for at least one of the deserting crew members in the form of a skilled member of the medical community yet who is unable to find gainful employment for….reasons named Clemens and thus, with his irascible yet fairly dependable first mate named Wojchek and a smallish yet equally as dependable number of crew members along for the ride, we see that the Demeter and her captain are able to set sail and make off for London. Things soon take a turn though when our intrepid hero Clemens finds a near-dead woman named Anna who has managed to stowaway aboard the ship amongst the crates and boxes in the cargo hold and, against the reservations (read: superstitions) of the rest of the crew, begins to do what he can to nurse her back to health. A bit problematic because soon thereafter people onboard start mysteriously disappearing only to eventually turn up viciously and viscerally murdered. Now with fear and terror starting to spread like wildfire amongst the remaining people aboard, and with the vessel being mere days away from the shores of jolly ol’ London, we see that our group must embark on a dual-tiered mission. That being to not only find out who (or what) is hunting them, but also how to stop it before it has picked them all off thus ensuring it is free to then go ashore and continue its horrific homicidal tendencies for as long as it would like to do so. As for if they prove to be successful in this endeavor or not that I think is something that I will leave for you to discover for yourself dear reader…..
Now right off the bat (pun intended), it should be noted that the plot of this particular story is unfortunately filled to the brim with clichés to spare despite the fact that the story was penned by no less than a trinity of writers. As a result, not only can you see where this narrative is going to wind up from a mile away, but you can also just as easily figure out just where the arcs for the cast of characters in this are going to play out too. Making up for this aspect however is the fact that, by and large, this slice of cinema makes up for by being fairly well made in a lot of the other departments behind the camera all things considered. This starts with the more than competent work done by director Andre Øvredal, who directed the highly underrated cinematic adaptation of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, at the helm. Indeed this is a film helmer who is more than knowledgeable about the best way to get as much scares as possible out of a mood of ever-rising dread. As a result, we see that with this slice of cinema it does prove to be more often than not a very unnerving viewing experience especially once the ship is out at sea and evil is waiting in the shadows for this unsuspecting crew. To be sure, there is most assuredly a very repetitive style to this movie especially in how it gives us moments where the creature is stalking unsuspecting people aboard before going in for the kill, but these moments still manage to be quite viscerally effective in how they are delivered to audiences. Besides that, I also really appreciate how this film, through very good work done by the cinematography department, manages to make the titular ship one that is of a similar vein to the Nostromo from 1979’s Alien in that, like that vessel, it operates very much as both a refuge to the crew through being their only shelter whilst also a death trap due to being as alien to the crew as the monster that is hunting them. Alongside that however, I should also praise the work done here by the design department. Not just with the make-up work on the more human (for lack of a better word) characters nor in terms of how they have made the titular vessel feel quite real. Rather, it would also be in how they have managed to make the evil these people are being hunted by look genuinely scary….when you actually see it. I add that last part not because the effects are shoddy (though the CGI is a bit hit or miss at times), but because this film also takes a brilliant cue from the movie Jaws (though I guess Alien would also apply here as well too). That being that, for a long stretch of this film, you are only given glimpses of the creature rather than a full shot. By doing so this film, for as flawed as it might be, does at least try to organically build suspense to such a degree that eventually even the thought of this monster wreaking havoc onboard is able to send a shiver down one’s spine rather than having to constantly see the monster in the flesh. Suffice it to say that when you also factor in a fairly spooky and chilling musical accompaniment from Bear McCreary, it’s clear that whilst the script on this film did take on more than it could handle, the rest of the work behind the camera does help balance that out a fair bit.
Of course, the other element that helps this film fly as much as it is able to would have to be the work done by the undoubtedly talented cast of players in front of the camera. A cast that, by and large incidentally, you might not recognize, but truthfully I think that works to this film’s benefit rather than to its detriment as some might think. This is because not only does it give the actors chosen the chance to really come across more as real people and less as actors playing a part, but also because sometimes when you cast a big name in a slice of cinema like this (read: Tom Cruise in 2017’s The Mummy) it can result in people going to see your movie to be sure, but it can also result in something else. Namely the possibility of that actor and the performance they give being focused on so much that it might cause everyone else and their distinct performance to be completely forgotten about. Thankfully, that is not the case here as everyone involved, more or less, gets a chance to showcase their respective abilities without any of the others being delegated to the sidelines in the process. This starts with Straight Outta Compton’s Corey Hawkins in the lead role of Clemens and honestly he’s pretty good here. Yes the character isn’t the best written in the world, but even with that in mind Hawkins does a wonderful job at playing an individual who, through all the bloodshed and terror, desperately attempts to find a rational explanation for everything that is going on even though he himself is just as terrified as everyone else onboard the boat until he finds himself forced to accept that maybe this is one time where the solution might have to be as unorthodox as the problem itself. Alongside Hawkins though, praise is also definitely due to Liam Cummingham (Davos Seaworth for you GOT fans out there) as Captain Eliot. Indeed Cunningham does a terrific job at portraying this weary yet decent man of the sea who tragically finds his last voyage turning into no more than a nightmare and thus must do what he can to ensure the safety of his crew despite being very much out of his element. Finally, I would definitely be amiss here if I didn’t take the time to mention the work done here by one of my favorite supporting actors David Dastmalchian in the role of the ship’s very irascible first mate Wojchek. Indeed be it his creepy turn as Bob Taylor in 2013’s Prisoners, his comedic one as Scott’s friend Kurt in the first two Ant-Man films, or even his brilliant take on DC supervillain Polka-Dot Man in 2021’s The Suicide Squad among others, Dastmalchian has shown a wonderful range for a support actor and here he continues that by giving us a character who yes is very much no-nonsense, but as the film definitely is given a chance to show a bit more of who he is as a person that culminates in a scene that is truly heartbreaking. Not just in what is said, but in the look on his character’s face as he delivers his dialogue in that moment. Suffice it to say that when you also factor in a genuinely menacing and even at times potential nightmare inducing turn from Javier Botet and very human turns from such talents as Woody Norman, Aisling Franciosi, Jon Jon Briones, and Stefan Kapičić (Colossus from the Deadpool movies!) among others, it’s clear that yes this cinematic ship might have a few leaks in it, but the work done by this cast certainly does their best to try and help keep the whole thing afloat.
All in all is The Last Voyage of the Demeter a perfect slice and dice of horror cinema? Honestly no and if you think so then I think you and I need to have a polite yet sarcastic to the hilt conversation about what makes for a great horror film and what doesn’t. With that being said though, is this a slice of cinema that deserves an (as of this writing) 45% reviewer score on Rotten Tomatoes? Oh heck no! Not even close! To be sure, this film’s script is clichéd to the hilt in terms of both narrative as well as character arcs to say nothing of the fact that it all wraps up with what is easily one of the most befuddling sequel teases that I have seen in a slice of cinema in any genre of movie magic in some time, but otherwise this isn’t really that bad of a cinematic cruise to enjoy (even if the characters themselves might disagree with you). Indeed the majority of the work done behind the camera is certainly competently done and the performances given by the cast of players, with particular regard to the work done by Corey Hawkins, Liam Cunningham, and David Dastmalchian, in front of the camera aren’t too bad all things considered even if you pretty much know where they are all going to wind up by film’s end. Suffice it to say then that if you go into this looking for a fangtastic new entry in the seemingly eternal legacy of one of cinema’s most infamous creatures then I am sorry, but be prepared to leave both disappointed as well as desperately seeking garlic to ward off any further vampire movies for a while. On the other hand, if you go into this looking for a slightly fun yet flawed popcorn film that might prove to be entertaining a time or two on a rainy day then you might find a fair bit to enjoy here. Thus, The Last Voyage of the Demeter might not stake new ground in its iconic subgenre, but it is fairly entertaining all things considered and sometimes that’s all you really need. Make of that what thou will dear reader. On a scale of 1-5 I give The Last Voyage of the Demeter “2023” a solid 3 out of 5.
