Review: Nosferatu

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Official Synopsis: A gothic tale of obsession between a haunted young woman (Lily-Rose Depp) and the terrifying vampire (Bill Skarsgard) infatuated with her, causing untold horror in its wake.

Director Robert Eggers has been making a name for himself in gothic horror for almost a decade now. So much so that he managed the near impossible feat of getting people excited for a remake. Now after what seems like forever, his take on the German film Nosferatu is here. 

First and foremost, I owe Lily-Rose Depp an apology. When Anya Taylor-Joy dropped out of this, and she was announced as her replacement, I saw it as a downgrade. Now after watching Lily-Rose, she was perfect for this. It's a very risky performance and she pulled it off. I feel bad for doubting her. The acting all around is fantastic. Nicholas Hoult, who plays her husband, Thomas is having a tremendous year. I was listening to a review where the critic mentioned "What do you even say about Hoult when he's ALWAYS delivering a good performance?" I say this is probably the most convincing I've ever seen him at being terrified. He's always good, but you really feel his fear when he encounters Count Orlok. As for the count himself, Bill Skarsgard is completely unrecognizable, both physically and what he does with his voice here. This man loves himself some creepy makeup and a 5-head. 

Like Egger's other films, Nosferatu has a foreboding pace. I don't feel like it qualifies as "slow." It takes its time building but enough happens to where you don't feel it dragging at any point. The cinematography is both marvelous and uncanny.  At times I was thinking that this was the best looking film I've seen all year. Yet, in other shots I felt like I was looking at a toy model and not a fully realized city. Like it was small, and obviously a set. It was a strange thing to experience. 

I continue to be a fan of Eggers and his work and I'm going back and forth on whether or not this or The Northman is my favorite of his now. This was a film I had a lot of hype for, and even with a few uncanny valley moments, it absolutely delivered.

Grade: A-

Comments

  1. thevoid99December 30, 2024 at 1:12 PM

    I hope this is available this weekend as this will be the first theatrical film I will watch in 2025 as I have Robert Eggers planned as my next Auteurs profile which will begin immediately once I finish the one on David Lean.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamDecember 31, 2024 at 2:05 PM

      Nice choice! I hope it's available for you to see too.

      Delete
  2. SJHoneywellDecember 30, 2024 at 9:06 PM

    I just posted my review of this, and we used the same picture.

    This film is well-cast, but for all of it, I think Willem Dafoe is having the best time on camera. How he's avoided an Oscar is beyond me. I'd love to see a nomination for him.

    This really is all about the style, and the style really works. I love that Eggers used shadow as much as he did. It feels like an homage to Murnau's use of shadow without being a duplicate of what he did. Very impressive stuff.

    If we're talking favorites from Eggers, though, I'm going with The VVitch.

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    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamDecember 31, 2024 at 2:07 PM

      Yes! He uses shadow a lot, and I liked how he took his time to show Orlok head on because of that. DaFoe is great. It would be cool if he got a Supporting Actor nom in this since he got one for Shadow of a Vampire too.

      Delete
  3. AnonymousDecember 30, 2024 at 10:07 PM

    This is Birgit…I do want to see this.obviously, I will compare it to the classic film from 1922 directed by FW Murnau and the 70s film starring Klaus Kinski. I love the 1922 version and realize I am loving F. W. Murnau’s films.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamDecember 31, 2024 at 2:09 PM

      I hope you like this! I need to catch the full 1922 version.

      Delete

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