Sci-fi knife modeled using the Random Flow addon in Blender.Shops:blendermarket.com/creators/blenderguppygumroad.com/blenderguppyPatreon:patreon.com/blenderguppy#shorts #b3d #blender3d #3d #3dmodeling #blendermarket #conceptartist #3dmodel #blenderaddon #3dmodel

Pets: They're not just critters that add to our monthly expenses. They're members of the family that we adore. Our love of cute furballs in real life also extends to how we view them in the games we play, and the ones that released this year have no shortage of such creatures. These are the video game best pets and animal companions of 2024.Our article includes everything from furry feline friends to aquatic acquaintances. We even have mythological creatures, alien animals, godly manifestations, and terrifying foes. Everything in Animal WellAnimal Well is a surreal adventure-platformer/metroidvania where exploration goes hand-in-hand with puzzle solving. Apart from various items and devices that you obtain, you also need to be mindful of the animals that you encounter. Some, like squirrels, will run away as you approach, so you have to think of ways to sneak up on them. Others, like the kangaroo, will appear in certain areas, pouncing to annihilate you unless you're able to scare it away. There's also the whale and other creatures, whose mechanics imply that they can help you with traversal. See at Steam The baby chocobos in Final Fantasy 7 RebirthFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth offers an adventure like no other. After leaving Midgar, you're free to explore the wide world, tackling all manner of activities with Cloud, Barrett, Tifa, Aerith, and the rest of the gang. While it's possible to fast travel using different methods, there's one feature that's so cute and adorable that you're likely to react in "aww" whenever you see it: the Baby chocobo.In specific locations, you might spot a baby chocobo in the distance. It will run away when you approach it, so just follow it until it reaches its destination. There, you'll be able to fix a rest stop sign, causing the baby chocobo to happily chirp. The baby chocobo will then give you a plume that you can use to unlock cosmetics and the rest stop becomes a fast-travel point, too. See at Amazon Nix from Star Wars OutlawsLet's face it: Star Wars Outlaws didn't necessarily set the world on fire when it released earlier this year, so much so that developer Massive Entertainment dropped "forced stealth" sections that initially caused frustrations during playthroughs. Still, one highlight in this adventure in a galaxy far, far away is Nix, Kay Vess' cute merquaal pet.Nix isn't just there to look adorable for merchandising purposes--sorry, useless Porgs. He actually has unique functions to help you in missions. These include distracting and attacking enemies, interacting with levers and panels, stealing or fetching items, and even peeking at opponents' cards in Sabacc games. See at Amazon Assan from Dragon Age: The VeilguardDragon Age: The Veilguard has a wonderful cast of characters, all looking to stop the spread of the Blight and the machinations of fallen elven gods. One of these companions is Davrin, a Grey Warden who's accompanied by his loyal griffon, Assan.Assan provides additional functionality in combat, since he's able to attack foes. Moreover, a special action causes Assan to strike Blight pods and winches to aid you in navigation. Most importantly, Davrin's quests all focus on rescuing Assan's fellow griffons and finding a better life for him. Assan's bond with Davrin and, by extension, how you treat Assan, determines how well you'll get along with your Grey Warden pal. Who knows, perhaps romance will bloom because of your decisions? See at Amazon The animal familiars from Hades 2You explore both the underworld and surface world in Hades 2, all while facing countless dangers as Melinoe. But you don't have to go at it alone. That's because you can recruit animal familiars to help you in subsequent runs. These include Frinos the Frog, Toula the Cat, Raki the Raven, and Hecuba the Hound.If you encounter these creatures in your travels, be sure to feed them morsels so they appear in your Crossroads hub. From there, you can continue to upgrade their perks and abilities. For instance, Toula grants a bonus Death Defiance (i.e. extra life), while Raki increases your critical-hit chance. Even better, animal familiars have a gathering function, so you can still collect materials even if you didn't bring the right tool for the job. See at Steam The Pals of PalworldThere's no denying the impact Palworld has had this year, as it managed to amass over 2.1 million concurrent players on Steam alone.This is primarily due to one ridiculous premise: It's Pokemon but with guns. That's just one facet of this open-world adventure game where you throw orbs to catch and tame Pals, handing them firearms later on so they can defend your base. Aside from this, Pals can also be assigned to tasks in your base depending on their work affinity. Some are able to water plants, while others set out to harvest them. There are also those who excel in construction, repair, and gathering roles. See at Steam Enki from Flintlock: The Siege of DawnAs a souls-like title, Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn is a bit on the easier side of things when it comes to gameplay. One element of what makes it enticing is the character of Enki, a god who has assumed the form of a fox.As Nor Vanek, you can use Enki's abilities in combat since his attacks gradually build up an enemy's stun meter. Likewise, his special gauge lets you trigger a Withering, an ultimate skill that obliterates everyone around you. Furthermore, Nor transforms into Enki whenever she has to pass through rifts. It's quite fascinating to behold a fox that's just flying through the skies. See at Amazon Momo from Infinity NikkiThe Nikki series has had many iterations over the years, with Infinity Nikki being the latest. It's also the first game in the series that's available on PC and consoles. Now, millions of players around the world can save the world in style.Infinity Nikki is primarily a dress-up game--i.e. you collect and upgrade clothes, use outfit abilities, and join styling contests. Aside from these activities, you also get to explore a massive, colorful open world with your cat companion, Momo, by your side.We'd like to think of Momo as a less0annoying Paimon (from Genshin Impact); our level of annoyance is lessened because Momo is a cat, and we all know that cats are awesome. Even better, one of Nikki's outfits causes her to shrink to a diminutive size, giving you control of Momo as he dashes, hops, and roams around. See at Epic Games Store The black cat from Little Kitty, Big CitySpeaking of awesome cats roaming around, Little Kitty, Big City puts you in the shoes paws of a cutesy void who needs to find his way back home. Set in a bustling city, your journey is filled with wonderful interactions with other animals, such as lost ducklings and a sneaky chameleon who wants you to solve his riddles. And, yes, you can find and wear dozens of hats, too. See at Steam The adopted cat from CopycatIndie adventure game Copycat isn't for the faint of heart. The story is about a cat who's adopted from an animal shelter by an old lady after her pet ran away. Initially aloof, the cat begins to warm up to their human as they begin to feel like they've found a home. Then, tragedy strikes, as the old lady's original cat returns. Knowing she's unable to take care of two pets, she has to let the adopted cat go.What follows is an emotionally charged adventure, as the cat tries to find their way home, all while questioning if they were truly wanted or loved. It's an absolute tearjerker through and through, especially for those of us who've adopted and rescued shelter or stray animals. Most importantly, Copycat teaches the value of being a responsible pet owner and the impact we have on the lives of the creatures we take care of. See at Steam The wolf from NevaSimilar to Copycat, Neva is another game where the focus is on our responsibility as caretakers of other creatures. At the start, the titular wolf, Neva, is but a cub, and your character, Alba, has to fend off dark creatures to protect it. As you progress through the game, Neva matures into a full-grown adult, becoming Alba's guardian in times of need.Neva's mesmerizing world also speaks volumes about our duty to preserve our planet, especially with the threat of climate change. In the same vein, it also shows us the immutable cycle from childhood to parenthood, when our parents nurtured us as children (similar to how Alba rears Neva as a cub), to the time when we, as adults, need to support those who've helped us in our formative years. See at Fanatical Fanatical and GameSpot are both owned by Fandom. Zhu Bajie or Pigsy from Black Myth: WukongTruth be told, Black Myth: Wukong has so many anthropomorphic characters--you even play as a humanoid monkey warrior--that the whole cast could be included as part of this entry. Still, it's Zhu Bajie, also known as Pigsy, who plays the most pivotal supporting role.Zhu Bajie is one of the major characters in Journey to the West. Like Sun Wukong and Sha Wujing, he's counted among the companions of Tang Sangzang in his quest to seek the ancient Buddhist scriptures. Due to his lustful and gluttonous nature, Zhu Bajie is eventually cursed to live as a humanoid pig, earning the moniker Pigsy.In Black Myth: Wukong, which serves as a continuation of the tale, Pigsy aids the Destined One in his attempt to gather Sun Wukong's relics. Similar to his depiction in the novel, Pigsy remains gruff, boisterous, and rude. However, he also shows remorse for his actions in the past, especially with how he treated his former lover, the Violet Spider, as well as their daughter. Cursed to suffer a thousand romantic tragedies, Zhu Bajie has no choice but to accept a lifetime of wandering, whether or not his feelings for someone are genuine. And, yes, he also serves as a neat distraction for enemies whenever he's with you. Just watch out because you also battle him a couple of times, and these encounters truly test your mettle. See at Amazon Jeff the Land Shark from Marvel RivalsJeff the Land Shark first appeared in the West Coast Avengers comic books. As his name implies, he's a shark with feet, allowing him to walk on land (duh!). But don't let his charming appearance fool you: Jeff is still a shark and, like all sharks, he loves to eat.In Marvel Rivals, Jeff is a Strategist-type hero with healing capabilities. More importantly, his ultimate skill allows him to gobble up friends and foes alike in a wide area. What makes things even more hilarious is that players can swim all the way to the edge of cliffs and platforms to spit out everyone to their doom. It's an extremely cheap move that's also effective, so much so that countless clips of this gamey tactic have made Jeff the Land Shark a viral sensation since Marvel Rivals' launch. See at Steam Kril from Another Crab's TreasureJeff the Land Shark isn't the only aquatic animal that's on a murder spree under the sea. There's also Kril, the star of Another Crab's Treasure. While most souls-like games have dark fantasy vibes and cryptic lore, Another Crab's Treasure offers a more whimsical take while retaining tried-and-tested combat mechanics, in which Kril dodges enemy attacks and follows up with various abilities. These come in the form of Adaptations, such as crowd-control traps, devastating punches, and bubble blasts.What makes the game even more ridiculous (in a good way) is that you can give Kril a gun. It's a souls-like game where you play as a crab who shoots enemies. What's not to love? See at Fanatical Warrior 103,683rd from Empire of the AntsBased on Bernard Werber's best-selling novel series, Empire of the Ants puts you in the role of 103,683rd, a warrior of the Bel-o-kan colony. Concerned about the changes in surrounding areas, the Queen urges you to travel to other regions to find other colonies in need of help.This leads to a campaign that's part real-time-strategy and part adventure-platformer. In certain quests, 103,683rd has to climb and jump from branches, leaves, flowers, and man-made objects like water bottles or soccer balls. In others, she's tasked with sneaking into termite camps to ascertain the threat they pose.As for the RTS missions, these allow you to control different types of ant and insect units in rock-papers-scissors-style gameplay. For instance, Warrior troops are strong against Workers, but they take heavy damage against Gunners. Moreover, your insect legions are bolstered by super predator and support units, such as snails and rhino beetles. See at Steam The dragons and beastly bosses of Dragon's Dogma 2Rounding out our list are the terrifying creatures found in Dragon's Dogma 2. From griffins and chimeras to dragons (obviously), these boss creatures are found in various regions in the game world. Some, like chimeras, have multiple parts that you can lop off to weaken them. Dragons, meanwhile, are tough opponents, since they can quickly scorch a wide area with searing hot flame. Then, there are griffins, who offer an unconventional means of transport--if you can manage to grab hold of these majestic beasts as they take off, you can see the surrounding lands from high up in the air. Just try not to lose all your stamina or you'll end up plunging to your doom. See at Walmart That does it for our best video game pets and animals of 2024. Did we forget some of your furry and cuddly favorites? Let us know about them in the comments section.More Best Of 2024:Our Favorite Games That Didn't Make The Top 10Best PS5-Exclusive Games Of 2024Best Switch-Exclusive Games Of 2024Best PC-Exclusive Games Of 2024Best Xbox Games Of 2024Best-Reviewed Games Of 2024Best Of 2024 hub

GameSpot brings you our staff picks for the best 10 games of 2024. Timestamps: 00:00 Astro Bot 03:30 Balatro 06:15 Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree 08:25 Helldivers 2 10:55 Indiana Jones and The Great Circle 12:50 Lorelei and the Laser Eyes 15:38 Metaphor: ReFantazio 18:01 Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown 20:36 Silent Hill 2 23:23 S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart Of Chornobyl

Over the past decade, anime movies have observed an amazing rise in worldwide appeal, increasingly veering away from peculiar entertainment to becoming a culture-wide phenomenon. Where once fans of a particular genre could be very dedicated, these days casual viewers around the world are hooked on a genre. Anime films are no longer just a niche within the international markets, but the trend has started to rival some of the biggest Hollywood blockbusters by box office takings and overall audience numbers.

A dedicated Dark Souls 3 player managed to defeat one of the game's most difficult fights with nothing more than a saxophone. Streamer Dr. Doot shared their accomplishment early Monday morning, revealing they had finally defeated Slave Knight Gael while using a digital saxophone as their controller, proving once again just how passionate and persistent the Dark Souls 3 and FromSoftware communities alike can be.

Customization is all the rage with modern gaming peripherals. However, not all gamers have the time or budget to make modifications. The Arctis Nova line of gaming headsets makes it simple to swap parts, leading to unique variations. SteelSeries spared World of Warcraft fans from that process with an ornate limited edition Arctis Nova 7 Wireless. MMO fanatics can add the headset to their arsenal at its lowest asking price yet.

I asked this on Math Stack Exchange, but my question was closed, so I'm cross-posting here.I have a poker code that properly classifies 5-card hands. I also have a code to best classify 1-card hands, 2-card hands, 3-card hands, and 4-card hands.For instance, where n=5 we get these frequencies that closely match those on https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poker_probability:

Palworld players have a lot to look forward to Monday as the Pokmon-like receives its next major update, subtitled Feybreak, and the first fruits of an ongoing crossover with 2D sandbox game Terraria.Feybreak adds another massive island reportedly six times larger than the area introduced in the previous Sakuraijima update to the already expansive Palworld playground. The new island includes more Pals to collect, foes to challenge in battle, resources to gather, and realistic weapons like assault rifles, sub-machine guns, and grenades to manufacture.The full Feybreak patch notes can be found here, but a couple standouts include the ability to sit in chairs for the first time and modules for Spheres (Palworlds Pok Ball analogues) that add capture-enhancing curves to their throw trajectories, kind of like Pokmon Go. This seems odd considering the legal trouble Palworld developer Pocketpair has already had with Nintendo, but hey, Im no lawyer. Also, Pokmon games rarely let you sit in chairs, so theres that.Palworld players will also get a chance to wield the Meowmere, a special sword from Terraria that fires projectiles and meows with every swing, as demonstrated in the video below. Pocketpair describes the weapon as only a small taste of the collaboration between Palworld and Terraria, so fans of both games should look forward to further content throughout 2025.Despite having a rough 2024 in terms of litigation, Palworld was nominated for Best Early Access Game at the Golden Joystick Awards, which was ultimately won by horror-comedy extraction game Lethal Company, and is currently in the running for Better With Friends category in the Steam Awards. Pocketpair seems determined to continue expanding its weird, little Pokmon clone, and it should be interesting to see how it develops in the new year.

Marvels Eternals was a DOA franchise wannabe when it arrived in 2021. The cosmic drama didnt click with audiences, and despite post-credits stingers with loads of setup, its no longer part of the studios current unfolding saga. Kevin Feige gave the update this summer that there are no immediate plans for Eternals 2.But in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, even a dud makes an impact. At the end of Eternals, the godly superhero team defies its towering space leader Arishem by preventing the birth of a new Celestial, Tiamut, who will pop out of their incubation chamber, aka the Earth. The delay of the Emergence seemed to upend the status quo of the universe (Arishem literally grabbed a few of the Eternals off the planet to prove humanitys worth), but as far as the tangible goes, it left a big stone hand jutting out of Earths ocean.The hand was big enough that Marvel couldnt sweep it under the rug. In 2022, She-Hulk poked fun at the impossible-to-miss plot-dangler. Captain America: Brave New World will directly deal with it next February. What If? season 3 is the latest property to indulge in what Eternals left behind, and in more ways than one. Frankly, its acknowledgement that the movie deserves as it fades further into the annals of Marvel history.In What If Agatha Went to Hollywood? the second of What If?s new batch of episodes, Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn) is a Golden Age movie starlet lighting up the screen under director Howard Stark. Shes also still a witch hungry for power, and her next move is to siphon the cosmic abilities of fellow actor Kingo (Kumail Nanjiani). Her plan comes together when Stark Pictures recruits the Bollywood star for a whiz-bang musical number turns out, Agatha can dance as well as she can sing and by the end of the showstopper, the two have brokered a deal to summon and defeat Arishem.Eternals doesnt just grant the Marvel stories the chance to drop a few references and cameos. The big swing writer-director Chlo Zhao took in melding mind-bogglingly epic ideas about gods and creation with multicultural customs and culture from around the globe allows a show like What If? (and hopefully future Marvel movies) to stretch its visuals way beyond the house style of an Avengers movie. A glittering, fire-blasting musical number is right at home in this weird, wonderful MCU tapestry, as well as a fight between two titans in space.When Agatha absorbs Kingos power, she transforms into a deity worthy of punching Arishem square across the jaw. In the grand tradition of characters entering the spirit plane and whupping ass as kaiju, Celestial Agatha eclipses the entire Earth to take on the Judge of the cosmos, and, like in Zhaos film, the camera often swoops down to ground level on Earth to see just how much the two dwarf the planetary battleground. Its big and capital-A Awesome.Episode 2 is not the only Eternals connection in the final run of What If?: An episode later in the season directly deals with the Emergence, this time wondering what would happen if the Eternals failed and Tiamut shattered the Earth on his way out the door. Thats just the beginning no spoilers, but things get way, way, way wackier from there but the entire What if? is predicated yet again on groundwork set by a movie that, based on Feiges comments, is being dealt with rather than appreciated.Zhaos vision for Eternals clearly did not fit the trajectory of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, one of references, recastings, and Deadpools versus Wolverines. But it did move the needle. What If? may not be canon, but its been a testing ground for ideas that did cross over, from Doctor Stranges multiversal madness to Captain Carter (who may graduate from cameo to full-blown action hero in Avengers: Doomsday). If Eternals is on the minds of those playing in the sandbox, theres still some hope for us defenders of the film that its mythology may trickle throughout the future.If Eternals legacy doesnt manifest in Fantastic Four (is this Galactus a Celestial?) or Secret Wars (something something Harry Styles as Eros?) then Marvel certainly seems content in toying with my emotions. The end of What If Agatha Went to Hollywood? delivers a beat that is basically rude for the final season of a series that, at least by the two-part finale later this week, promises not to pick up any loose ends set by other episodes.This has probably drawn the Celestials attention, Kingo says of Agathas destructive battle with Arishem. The bad kind of attention.Agatha shushes him now is the time to celebrate, not dwell on existential horrors to come.We can save that for the sequel!Eternals isnt getting one of those. Agatha All Along isnt even guaranteed to get a second season (let alone the big-screen treatment that Agathas power set clearly deserves after this episode). So who knows where or how or if this non-canon storyline will ever get a proper sequel. But what seems true is that by playing god in the MCU, Zhao and her film have made Eternals a required consideration for future Marvel stories. And if that means more A-list actors muttering Arishem the Judge across 4,000 summer-weekend screens well, that might be enough to make up for a lack of Eternals 2.

The hipster-traditionalist writer-director Robert Eggers is back, stalking the pages of history as usual. Hes known for digging deep into the language and traditions of the past to excavate his visions: the folkloric superstitions of early American settlers in The Witch, the fevered perversions of the Victorian imagination in The Lighthouse, the elemental mythology of Scandinavia in The Northman. But in his new movie, Nosferatu, the corpse hes exhuming is a cinematic one.In the 1920s and 1930s, filmmakers created two distinct lineages of Draculas. In 1922, German silent film visionary F.W. Murnau released Nosferatu, an unauthorized adaptation of Bram Stokers novel Dracula then only 25 years old. He transplanted the action from England to Germany and changed the characters names, but it was otherwise a pretty faithful take on the book, keeping the action in the 19th century. Murnau and lead actor Max Schreck renamed their Dracula Count Orlok and envisioned the vampire as a bald, cadaverous, rat-toothed horror with clawed hands: a specter of Europes barbarous past.In 1931, Tod Brownings Dracula was released, starring Bela Lugosi. This early talkie, working from a stage adaptation of Stokers book, updated the action and shuffled the roles of some characters. Lugosi, who had played Dracula on stage, made his version of the vampire sinister but stately, with courtly manners, formal dress, slicked-back hair, and a batlike cape.Stokers heirs sued Nosferatus producers, and a German court ruled that all copies of the film be destroyed. That didnt quite happen too many prints had made their way overseas by that point but Murnaus vision was almost wiped from the record, and it didnt resurface for several decades. Lugosis version of the character became not just the iconic cinematic Dracula, but the archetypal vampire in pop culture, while Schrecks monster receded into the shadows.Eggers, ever the purist, is out to reset that narrative. His Nosferatu is a tribute to Murnau and through Murnau, to Stoker that bypasses a century of movie Draculas (with one notable exception) and goes straight to the source. Eggers is trying to tap into something primal and terrifying that the sexy urbanity of the post-Lugosi vampire glossed over. Still, hes only half successful, because his reconstruction is too meticulous to be truly raw.Eggers precisely replicates Murnaus setting: the elegant German port city of Wismar in the 1800s. He uses Murnaus German character names, too. Nicholas Hoult plays Thomas Hutter, a real estate agent summoned to visit a mysterious Transylvanian count in his mountain castle and bring him the deeds to a Wismar mansion. Lily-Rose Depp is Thomas wife, Ellen, a sensitive woman who falls under a trance-like spell after he departs. And Bill Skarsgrd fast developing a Lugosi-like career as horror cinemas favorite handsome monster is Count Orlok, the centuries-old vampire who terrorizes Thomas, then leaves his mountain home to descend on Ellen and Wismar, plague and death following in his wake.Eggers painstaking formal compositions, high-contrast lighting, and intensely detailed production design are all steeped in silent-cinema traditions. You cant imagine a director better equipped to recreate Murnaus vision as a modern spectacle, and Nosferatu often has a shivering, shadowy beauty. Eggers and his usual cinematographer, Jarin Blaschke, give the film a color treatment so washed-out, its almost monochrome, referencing the spectral blue, pink, and sepia of tinted prints of the original movie. Its a delicate, ghostly-looking film, less stark than the black-and-white Lighthouse. It looks properly haunted.At the same time, Eggers fleshes out Murnaus stripped-down retelling of Stoker into something more expansive and sturdy, strengthening characters and subplots, sometimes following the novel, sometimes not. The Hardings (Kraven the Hunter star Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Deadpool & Wolverine villain Emma Corrin), a wealthy couple who care for Ellen in Thomas absence, are given a much more substantial role in this version, as is Wismars misguided Dr. Sievers (Ralph Ineson). And Eggers introduces professor Albin Eberhart Von Franz (Willem Dafoe), a scientist and mystic, as a kind of Van Helsing figure something Murnau didnt really bother with. As Sievers and the sceptical Hardings grow progressively more worried for the absent Thomas and the psychically tormented Ellen, they reluctantly call on this eccentric crank for solutions.No actor better understands Eggers project than Dafoe, and he plays Von Franz with relish, investing every line reading with a precise, stylized vigor and his trademark rasp. Nosferatu comes alive when hes on screen, but the other actors are sometimes suffocated, only occasionally finding the intensity needed to break through Eggers archaic phrasing and mannered direction. Another exception is the British character actor Simon McBurney, who is delightfully deranged as Herr Knock, Nosferatus version of Renfield: Thomas boss and Orloks enraptured slave.The key creative pact in any Dracula movie, though, is between the director and his vampire. (E. Elias Merhige playfully explored this topic in his 2000 film Shadow of the Vampire, in which John Malkovich plays a fictionalized Murnau, with Dafoe as a version of Schreck who might actually be a vampire.) This is the one area where Eggers and Skarsgrd diverge sharply from the original film. Skarsgrds Orlok is still ancient, corpse-like, and heavily taloned. But where Schreck was twisted and withered, Skarsgrds version is towering and hairy, swathed in furs, with a long mustache and a barbaric aspect. Even his looming physicality is dwarfed by his voice; Skarsgrd speaks outrageously slowly in a cartoonish Transylvanian accent, rolling his Rs for days, and the sound mix gives his every utterance a booming, subsonic resonance that rattles the theater. Its a choice; it may be too much for some, but it couldnt be any more Gothic.In his previous three films, Eggers vision was striking for its originality and craft. As perfectly matched as Nosferatu is to his taste and talents, its deflating to watch him build a monument to someone elses art, even from a distance of 100 years. Like Werner Herzog before him, who remade Nosferatu in 1979, Eggers cant resist the temptation to recreate some of Murnaus most famous shots, such as the vampires shadow creeping menacingly up the stairs toward Ellens boudoir.But Herzog also invested his version with his distinctively documentarian, anthropological viewpoint, and tinted it with the world-weary cynicism of the 70s. Eggers doesnt allow anything so personal or contemporary to creep into his straightforward reconstruction, beyond putting even more emphasis on the psychosexual connection between Ellen and the Count. (This is the only version of the story Ive seen where the link between the Ellen Hutter/Mina Harker character and the vampire predates the Count meeting Thomas/Jonathan at his castle, as if she had summoned the monster into being with her secret desires.)Theres one other film interpretation of the Dracula story that looms large over Eggers Nosferatu. In 1992, Francis Ford Coppolas Bram Stokers Dracula also sought to cut through the Browning/Lugosi tradition and reframe the legend as an opulent Victorian Gothic tale. But Coppola ignored Murnau, too, instead cooking up his own witches brew of intense eroticism, silky grandeur, and absurd camp. Its a wildly uneven movie, but Gary Oldmans mesmeric performance as Dracula and Eiko Ishiokas ravishing costumes created an all-new and startlingly transgressive iconography for the old vampire.Eggers is gracious enough to pay polite tribute to Coppola, quoting him directly in a couple of shots. But invoking Bram Stokers Dracula is rough on his Nosferatu, which feels staid and sexless by comparison. Eggers has made a visually grand movie, with an impressively doomy atmosphere and one hell of a closing shot. As a finely wrought monument to the ultimate Gothic horror movie, its worth seeing. But as a new reading of one of the most resonant stories of the past 150 years, it rings hollow. It has no fresh blood in its veins.Nosferatu debuts in theaters on Dec. 25.