A Beautiful Windbag, Coppola's Classical Horror is the Definition of Style Over Substance

Rating: 4/10 (13 February 2012)

Francis Coppola's loyal translation of a classic piece of literature merely proves that many times some new wrinkles are necessary to interpret a printed property for the screen. Visually ambitious but thematically dreary, it often seems like a thin excuse to try out some of Hollywood's craziest ideas in wardrobe, set design, hairstyling and film editing. I'll tip my hat to Coppola's dedication to his craft; his demands that the entirety of the film's effects be produced in-camera have given the picture an eerie look entirely its own. When they're working, their influence makes the whole picture seem hazy, uncertain and ghostly, like a foggy, lucid dream. When it all goes wrong, though - and this happens fairly regularly - the illusion shatters and once deathly-serious scenes become downright hysterical. A super-heavyweight cast can do little, if anything, with a script so overcooked and while I'll always welcome a healthy dose of indulgent sex scenes, they really don't seem to have a point here.