'Dracula Untold'

You could take "Dracula Untold" and plop it into any other CGI-filled film and you wouldn't be able to distinguish any of them from one another. What a disappointment, considering that each generation gets its own Dracula film; in this case, it's the inevitable origin story film that inundates each horror movie villain remake.

In Transylvania 1462, Vlad III (Luke Evans) enjoys peaceful surrounding after many years of battle in Wallachia. He soon comes face to face with an enemy Sultan (Dominic Cooper) that will change the course of his soon-to-be bloody life. Evans portrays an able and buff Dracula, but can't save the debacle of a storyline, even if the film looks stunning at times.

For a movie that I wasn't thrilled about, the Blu-ray featurettes (seven in total) are actually quite enjoyable, especially since they mostly feature handsome Luke Evans. You can watch him in "A Day in the Life," where a film crew follows Evans around for 24 hours and shows him on set preparing and getting into character. "Creating a Legend" has the charming Evans as a host, introducing key scenes, how they were made, and why they're integral to the film.

Two special features complement each other: "Dracula Retold" rehashes the summary of "Dracula Untold" and leads into "Slaying 1000," an intriguing look at how the major slaying scene was created. A cheesy but still fun interactive map can be navigated in "The Land of Dracula," and an alternate opening with optional commentary (ditto for six deleted scenes) can be viewed. An audio commentary with director Gary Shore and production designer Francois Audouy features and interesting discussion with a few lulls here and there.

So, to rent or to buy "Dracula Untold?" I'd skip this untold story and keep it a secret.

"Dracula Untold"
Blu-ray
www.universalhidef.com