Nosferatu (2024) - Robert Eggers Goes Gothic in a Sensational Journey That Doesn't Fully Satisfy

  Nosferatu (2024)

Ok, I think it's 2025 and a new year means new reviews and new movies. In particular for this brand new movie I think I'll go on a bit, so I warn you already, it will be quite saturated with information and boring, but it doesn't matter after all.
I write for myself, to think about what I saw and maybe have the opportunity during this flow of thoughts to understand or grasp things that I missed during the vision.
Needless to say, I was waiting for this movie like few things in this world: as much as I have always recognized the grandeur of the 1922 film, avant-garde in German expressionism, never before has this story become so important to me. The reason is among the simplest ever, namely Robert Eggers: with every cell of my body I love this asshole incapable of making mistakes. I think he is one of the best directors not only of recent years, but of the entire history of cinema. One of those authors who is not only able to tell incredible stories but above all able to create unique and unrivaled atmospheres. His 3 previous films are all basically masterpieces and some of my absolute favorites. “The Witch”, “The Lighthouse”, “The Northman”, in short, what the fuck are we talking about. Honestly, no director has been able to make a trio of films one after the other so fucking beautiful in recent times, so it goes without saying that I had rather high expectations, perhaps mistakenly even too high.
Seeing it in IMAX certainly didn’t help contain the euphoria I felt for this “experience”, but let’s go in order, otherwise I’ll end up glazing and not talking about anything else.
I was saying that maybe…maybe my prediction for this film was slightly too optimistic and I’ll start by saying that unlike Robert’s other films, this 2024 “Nosferatu” is not a masterpiece.
Yes, because even though this fourth film by the author was very successful and I liked it a lot, I put it at the bottom (for now) of Eggers' filmography.
But let's get to the bottom of the matter, therefore trying to proceed in order.

The truly incredible and jaw-dropping things are many: the gothic, nineteenth-century and gloomy atmospheres are still of the highest level, especially during the first act of the film.
The first fucking part is pure art guys. I think I haven't felt such strong emotions watching a film in many months and once again I feel like praising Robert: a perfect, clean and very precise direction (even for Eggers' own standards), combined with an unparalleled editing are just the basis for an incipit that leaves you speechless; unpredictable camera movements that revolve around the actors and slowly penetrate the soul of each character, all without being obvious, pretentious or mannered.
The music?! In this first portion Robin Corolan (who I didn't even know by mistake) leads us together with the director, hand in hand towards the Count's residence and does so with soundtracks that gave me a kilometer of goosebumps.
The entire opening sequence is without a doubt the best of the film: to the various aspects already mentioned is added the classic cinematography of Jarin Blaschke which, as in every other film by Eggers, is one of the highest points.
Even in this case it is no exception. With the use of 35 mm film the final image is sensational, clean but at the same time "old" and dated, perfect for the setting of the film. The use of natural lights and the various contrasts between warm and cold tones immerses you completely in the director's vision and in the gothic and expressionist setting. Breathtaking compositions, fairytale lighting but above all "cinematic" (not a given these days) lead me to think that the film could also easily win the Oscar for cinematography this year. Truly a work of art.
Perfect period costumes, stunning sets, excellent narration, editing, makeup and prosthetic effects, elevate the first third of the film to the stars.
The "little problems" start more than anything from halfway through the vision.
On the one hand we finally have the opportunity to see the main and sensational acting performances of the various members of the cast, on the other the narration slows down a lot, however that is not even the most drastic aspect. The problem is the camera and yes, partly Eggers’ direction: from the open spaces of the first act, it begins to linger on the various characters, but it does so…too much in my opinion (with close-ups, details and close shots) and with too much insistence. This component would not even be a problem if only it did not create a sense of claustrophobia on more than one occasion, both outside the film and inside. It is undeniable that at various moments one feels the need to detach and give the viewer a chance to “breathe”, but this never happens, or if it does, the “breath” is not long enough to put the viewer at ease.
I found this element a bit repetitive in many moments, giving the central act a stale aura and lacking a real "soul", too distant from the first portion of the story. On the other hand, being always on the characters gives a way to enter their psyche and observe the various performances from the inside.

Above all, Lily-Rose Depp is the one who impressed me the most: her portrayal of Ellen Hutter is sensational from every point of view. In every scene, she manages to make your blood run cold, scare, disturb, excite and make you feel sorry for her, without ever going out of line or ending up in the obvious. As an actress she is good, but only after this "Nosferatu" do I feel like saying that we are in front of a great actress (so good that she almost manages to make me forget that crap of "The Idol"). Even in the really good things, however, there is no lack of more or less negative notes. The disappointing aspect of her character, which for others can be seen as something indifferent or not necessarily "wrong", is the lack of a clear back story that makes us understand first of all who the fuck she is and then her intentions, and her goals; in short, there is a lack of proper depth in her Ellen Hutter, which although it is staged well is at the same time flat, almost fruitless.
This wouldn't even be a problem in principle, but it's really a shame if you consider that it's the main character. I mean, in what fucking world does a protagonist have so many sides kept in the dark or at least hidden in mystery? Answer, in none, but Eggers can do this too. I repeat, it's not a strictly negative thing, but having a little more depth certainly wouldn't have hurt, especially with regards to the viewer's empathy towards the character. Among the other members, it's impossible not to mention Bill Skarsgård. This man was born to be a villain and in this film he is no exception: his Count Orlok is sensational and the various stylistic additions they made are brilliant and as accurate as possible, both historically and epistolary (especially if you take Bram Stoker's novel as a reference). "Within, stood a tall old man, clean shaven save for a long white moustache, and clad in black from head to foot, without a single speck of colour about him anywhere". But there is a basic problem here too: his fucking Orlok is shown TOO MANY times throughout the film, ending up losing impact. After the first few meetings his charm fades and in particular his “mysterious villain” component quickly vanishes. In short, it is as if Eggers had taken the psyche of a character (Ellen) and attributed it to the Count. Damn, that is not right, make me the Count richer in mystery and her more deeply carved as a character, no? No???? No.

The remaining members of the cast were equally good and lived up to expectations. Willem Dafoe as usual does not disappoint, Nicholas Hoult gives another great acting performance in a career studded with excellent roles, Aaron Taylor-Johnson as always does not make mistakes and even Emma Corrin, who I did not know at all, was able to hold her own against such a disparate cast. The strengths and weaknesses of this second part are also found in the narrative and staging: Eggers in fact resorts to the use of the “Jumpscare” on many occasions to instill fear, perhaps after realizing that he had given too much space to Orlok and thus destroying his ability to scare. Exactly, because as much as one can argue about it, “Nosferatu” is not as scary as many say. It often unsettles, yes, but you are never face to face with true Terror as in “The Witch”. Needless to say, on an aesthetic and effects level, a Jumpscare works once, using it on multiple occasions is a considerable gamble.

With the merits and defects of the second act we arrive at the third with an impressive speed. Here, the main shortcomings remain and these are linked to two other "silly things" that I would not have expected from Eggers: the Green Screen and the fucking focus. In some scenes you can see the CGI of backgrounds, backdrops and sets and it can only make me furious. The budget of the film is not that high, so I will not blame the production costs, but if you see that a part made on the PC does not render that much, damn it, reshoot it, or do it better. I swear, I'm not saying this to be the snobbish pain in the ass of the moment, it's just that for the standards to which we have been accustomed over the years such a thing is not acceptable.
This, however, is nothing compared to focusing: I know very well that shooting film in low light involves difficulty in focusing, but once again, if a shot doesn't work, reshoot it. I'm not saying this just in relation to a single time, but because it happens on many occasions: characters out of focus or blurry, details not sharp.
For another film I wouldn't have opened my mouth, but this is Robert Eggers, gentlemen, and I won't accept something like this. The ending is reached slowly, and although it was quick, I really liked it and it more or less closes the various plots and subplots introduced.

So, to sum it up, this fourth film by Eggers forgets a bit about the main aspect of a story, that is, the narration, which however successful it is, for the most part never rises to very high levels (also due to a significant lack of rhythm, especially in the aforementioned central act). However, despite the various problems and the non-classical shortcomings for a typical film by the director, it is undeniable that "Nosferatu" arrives, and it does so like a bolt from the blue.
In conclusion, therefore, nothing revolutionary but not even remotely a mediocre or forgettable film, on the contrary, I am absolutely convinced that certain moments after a second viewing will be captured with greater attention and I will certainly take them to the grave.
Another beautiful piece in the filmography of this immense director.