Original concepts are untested ground to big budget studios. Untested ground is the possibility of losing money. Because of this, film is going through a stage of franchising anything with sequel potential.

“Dracula Untold” (PG-13; 92 min) is a casualty of this unoriginality.

“Dracula Untold” is an action prequel directed by Gary Shore and stars Luke Evans, Dominic Cooper and Sarah Gadon.

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Vlad the Impaler, played by Evans, is the prince of Transylvania, a tribute territory of the Turkish Empire. The Turkish King Mehmed II asks Vlad for 1,000 children to put in his army. Vlad did not want the children of his kingdom to suffer this fate and decides to go to war. Largely outnumbered, he looks to the dark arts for help. Now with immense power, Vlad fights the Turkish army. But with this power comes with a price.

“Dracula Untold” is the start of a rebooted Universal Monsters franchise. If this movie is any indication of how it will go, it might want to reconsider. Just pack the bags, and find another property to ruin.

It has no identity, no authentic thought of its own. It is both a period action movie and a villain-centered prequel. Think 2010’s “Robin Hood” mixed with “Hannibal Rising” in some twisted, awful cocktail.

This movie could have been saved from its uninspired fate, if it would have just showed a little violence once in a while. It has action scenes, but they all had the fragrances of a PG-13 movie. For a guy whose signature move is to impale people, Vlad is pretty mild on the battlefield.

This is not the howl of a gory hound, but a call for film to worry about the quality of the movie first. Making it violent and brutal would have differentiated it from all the other action films trying to reach PG-13 audiences. Dracula is known property; people will come regardless of rating.

Dracula is portrayed more as a superhero than a future villain. There is a reference to him not having remorse for the people he killed while in the Turkish army. This is a bright spot in the film.

It would be interesting if the character were in his element on the battlefield. The battlefield is his canvas. Let him paint. Then he goes home and suppresses his warrior instincts all for the greater good; a family man and a caring king.

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The acting is horrid and the dialect is poor in this film. Cooper specifically takes cues from terrible Transylvania impressions.

Evans is miscast. He is an actor who is one note, which is not to insult him. The movie business is filled with actors who play the same character over and over again. Evans commands the role of the soft-spoken action character. That is not Dracula.

Dracula is a jovial and complex being. His personality should be intoxicating. Even in this version of the character, he should be a commanding and sympathetic leader. That is not how Evans plays him and the film suffers for it.

If masochism and laughably bad movies is your thing, see this movie.