The Last Voyage of the Demeter, 2023

This is an American supernatural horror movie of director André Øvredal with the writers Zak Olkewicz and Bragi Schut Jr. It is the adaptation of the movie “The Captain’s Log” this is a chapter by Bram Stoker from year 1897 novel Dracula. The plot followed the doomed crews of a merchant ship Demeter headed by Captain Elliot who attempted to endure the treacherous ocean trip to London from Transylvania while being stalked through the legendary vampire identified as Dracula.

The Cast Lists

Corey Hawkins performed as Clemens, the doctor that joined the Demeter

Javier Botet performed as Dracula, the very feared and a very powerful vampire

Liam Cunningham performed as Captain Eliot, a captain of Demeter

Aisling Franciosi performed as Anna, a slave of Dracula and the unwitting stowaway

David Dastmalchian performed as Wojchek, a Demeter’s quartermaster

Story Outline

On 6th of August, 1897, this merchant ship Demeter washed ashore in England. In the midst of the wreckage located by the police official is a log kept by captain, Eliot. A month earlier, this Demeter makes port at Varna, Bulgaria, in picking up cargo for the transportation to London. Their shipment, consisting of many big wooden crates, has been shipped by the locals from Romania. But, the locals refused to load their cargo on the ship, claiming that they should leave the place before sunset. One of them, Wojchek, hands the quartermaster, and Olgaren, another crewman, the large sum of cash and wished the Demeter a protected trip before finally separating from the others.

Clemens, the doctor graduated from University of Cambridge, overheard that the ship had been searching for crewmen. He attempted to convince the crews that his knowledge of astronomy and his medical skills would make him someone valuable asset for them. Wojchek rejected him and hired the older man instead; however, while assisting to load a crate, the newly hired frightened upon identifying a dragon emblem on the shorter side – accidentally released the tackle rope and cause a crate to fall down. Clemens witnessed the accident and rescue Toby, Eliot’s grandson, from being crushed through the loose crate. This newly hire declared the dragon emblem of bad omen and then leave; out of gratitude to Clemens’ intervention, Eliot hired him as the substitute.

One of those crate fall and breaks open at the cargo hold. Then Clemens investigated and finds the lady being buried in dirt inside. The woman is barely alive, then, he performed blood transfusions to her to treat her and what he thought to be as an infection. While at the Aegean Sea, Olgaren and Clemens saw the odd shape in the fog over the deck. The next evening all the kinds of animals aboard that ship were killed, including Huckleberry, the ship’s dog. The crew, fearing the rabies outbreak, throws everything all overboard. Anna is the secret stowaway had awakens and warns them regarding the monster from Transylvania, the creature that is being feed by the human blood.

Writer’s Observation

You will surely get sick and tired from the generic concept of most of the horror movies where the obvious answer will be just there, right in your front and the plot will take you on the nonsensical voyage of characters being unaware and making poor decisions to endure, and this movie does not disappoint that.

Basically, this movie is what people are talking and that’s it. You get little glimpses of Dracula who is attacking people from here and there, however, every sequence are short and dimly lit, oddly bloodless and unsatisfying – everything you will not want in the R-rated movies of vampire. Also the movie is beyond boring, and its only reason you will like it is because of the initial scenarios of bloodshed that seems promising. Apart from that, you will find no enjoyment watching this movie!

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