Castlevania: Nocturne Review: A Worthy Heir To The Castlevania Series
The Belmont whip lashes out once again. The 2017 release of the animated "Castlevania" on Netflix was a game-changer on two fronts. The first is a literal one: It purportedly changed up the Konami video game source material to build its own story. Secondly, "Castlevania" can be credited for uplifting story-driven Western adult animation in the fantasy genre, one that eschews the traditional shoestring aesthetic and the sitcom format typically associated with American adult animation.
Much of "Castlevania" success is thanks to the anime-inspired style of the Austin-based Powerhouse Animation and outsourced studios like the Philippines-based Nine Lives Studio. One does not need to play the video game lore of "Castlevania" to dive into the animated adaptation on Netflix. Even when plowing through the next action sequence with its navel-gazing script, it was an enthralling watch through its earnest cast chemistry and set-pieces.
This new chapter, "Castlevania: Nocturne" (adapting the games "Castlevania: Rondo of Blood" and "Symphony of the Night"), delivers the trademarks of the older series: an uncouth Belmont vampire hunter, ruthless and sexy vampires (some with grayer moralities than others), hypocritical Christians, Forgemasters (necromancers who convert corpses into nightcreatures), magicians, and musings about the depressing human condition in a world of copious murder. And "Castlevania: Nocturne" proves itself to be a worthy heir that explores fresh variations of familiar elements.
The next generation
Set in 1792, "Castlevania: Nocturne" transports us three centuries after the first "Castlevania." It zeros in on the coming-of-age of the next Belmont generation, Richter Belmont (Edward Bluemel), who witnessed his mother's defeat at the hands of a vampire, Olrox (Zahn McClarnon), in the New World. Left a traumatized sad boi, Richter grows up repressing his magical abilities, preferring to beat vampires with his Belmont-consecrated whip. Now sequestered in a Western France caught in the waves of the French Revolution, the 19-year-old Belmont fights alongside the teenage Maria Renard (Pixie Davies), his distant cousin and sister-in-arms mage, who's building a revolt against the (literally) vampiric aristocrats.
The pair are joined by other allies: the sorceress Annette (Thuso Mbedu) and opera singer Edouard (Sydney James Harcourt, a "Hamilton" star), both hailing from the ongoing Haitian Revolution. Together, they find out that a Vampire Messiah (Franka Potente, oozing in the role deliciously enough) and her vampire army are plotting to cast the world in an eternal night, so vampires may roam the Earth and drain humanity.
Gold standard voice acting
Powerhouse Animation has not broken its streak in ensemble voice casting. Armed with a sandy youthful croak, Bluemel cinches the tricky balance between Richter's wry conduct and his capacity for humility. There's no doubt of the inherited demeanor from Trevor Belmont, but he's a much callow and warmer fellow than Richard Armitage's imposing Trevor. What makes his arc compelling, echoing yet not rehashing his forebearer's arc, is that he's aware of his liminal space in heroism, and regains it first through faith in his friends before he relearns to have faith in himself.
Davies' precociousness fills in perhaps the most underserved of the vibrant lot, the firebrand Maria, elevating her into likeability. In fact, there are several hearts in the group, including Nastassja Kinski's world-weary Teva Renard, Maria's magic-wielding mother. "The Woman King" star Mbedu also has bite as Annette, a serious warrior who doesn't give into dourness. Perhaps the most stunning surprise is the mileage in Harcourt, as Annette's confidante Edouard, with his featherlight singing voice weaponized for plot relevance and heartbreak through dramaturgically selected baroque arias. It's an alchemical casting that goes a long way to caring about their stakes when the finale dissolves their hopes into chaos.
There's another standout. Outside of this heroic group wanders a grayer agent, the aforementioned Olrox, a vampire of Aztec descent. Voiced by an imposing McClarnon, he's on no one's side but his own, figuring out the playing field around vampires more powerful than him. He forms an interesting rapport with his paramour Mizrak (a gruff Aaron Neil), a dogmatic but conscientious lackey of the corrupt Abbott (Richard Dormer, playing a punchable priest with sanctimony).
Revolution in the Air
In place of a disgraced Warren Ellis (the first series' creator and writer ousted due to testimonies of his sexual misconduct), creator Clive Bradley takes over the bulk of the writing credits, with three other writers (Zodwa Nyoni, Temi Oh, and Testament). Bradley emulates the previous show's casual crassness and monologuing. For the better, this season's structure aims for episodic organization and progression as opposed to Ellis' chunk-by-chunk delivery. With eight episodes in the batch, "Castlevania: Nocturne" works because its downtime gives purposeful breathing space to crucial chapters, especially those that unravel Annette's and Richter's grapplings with their respective histories. Particularly with Annette's backstory, an early Nyoni-penned episode embraces an interpersonal intimacy that pays dues to one of the show's tragic relationships.
Whereas the first series is pulp period in medieval times, "Castlevania: Nocturne" splashes waist-deep (not quite submerged) into historical fantasy territory (Cécile Accilien is credited as a cultural advisor). These historical leanings do bleed in organic ways into a few of the cast, such as Annette (whose Ogun-based magic wreaks retribution against enslavers) and Olrox (whose experience with colonization shapes his otherness in the vampire court). The show offers morsels of commentary about the nuances of historical revolutions (acknowledging the exclusion of the marginalized in the pursuit of "high ideals"). Though admittedly, as a historical fantasy, "Castlevania: Nocturne" does miss out on opportunities to play more with these internal politics. That said, "Castlevania" succeeds first and foremost a macabre fantasy of adrenaline-surging proportions. Action is a kinetic ballad that directors Sam and Adam Deats and their team have executed before. Though it isn't shocking, the physical and facial animation remains impressive, such as the way Maria's benign face creases with fury or Richter's mouth curls into perplexity.
Other than its place in the continuity and universe, "Castlevania: Nocturne" steers away from being overtly connected to its predecessor enough that the show could be gateway viewing. I was impressed that the season rolled on long enough without heavy winks to the past. That is, until the last minute. The show ran on its own marathon long enough that the last-minute entrance of a "Castlevania" veteran (somewhat by design of the worldbuilding) does ellipse its current generation.
/Film Rating: 7.5 out of 10
"Castlevania: Nocturne" premieres September 28, 2023 on Netflix.