Review: The Last Voyage of the Demeter

The year 2023 has once bestowed upon us over 20 sequels, remakes, or reboots for wide release. Now comes The Last Voyage of the Demeter, a 2-hour mucosa based on the seventh installment of Bram Stroker’s Dracula. Just when you thought talkie has bled the tale of the iconic vampire dry, it rises once more… and for the second time this year (after Renfield). 

Our journey begins at a Romanian port where we are introduced to Clemens (Corey Hawkins), a young medical school graduate. He jumps at the opportunity to join the hairdo of the Demeter to reservation a lift when to England. Aboard the ship we meet the elderly Captain Eliot (Liam Cunningham), his 9-year-old grandson Toby (Woody Norman), and the other members of the small crew. 

Director André Øvredal, who helmed the Scandinavian cult hit Troll Hunter (2010) and increasingly recently Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (2019), keeps Demeter a tight mucosa and never allows its sustentation to be diverted to subplots. Everything on our voyage leads straight to Dracula and the fate of the crew. While the runtime does strain the threads of the thin plot, the film’s focus never allows the tension or sense of dread to dissipate.

The Last Voyage of the Demeter unfurls as a slasher, as we watch crewmembers succumb to the mythical monster one by one. It moreover steeps itself in the undercurrent of a gothic haunted house tale, with all of that genre’s creaks, echoing rappings, and eerie glows of lanterns that sway in the night. Each of the tint unhook strong, melancholic performances, though most of the notation lack depth. Cunningham and Aisling Franciosi (who plays Anna) manage to imbue a world-weary complexity into the fabric of their roles. You can finger the weight of their lives. 

On the technical side, the mucosa falls into the trap of tent everything in undecorous and gray hues, blunting its visual impact. The CGI is lacking, and the diamond of Dracula leaves something to be desired. The Last Voyage of the Demeter is an enjoyable water and wounded ride wideness the sea, while moreover feeling plodding and stretched too thin.