A visionary masterpiece

Rating: Null/10 (24 May 2001)

I was a little leary on watching this film because so many people said it strayed from the book. The book is one of the best works ever written and I wanted to watch a version that was true to what Bram Stoker had visioned. This movie did stray, however, it wondered in the best direction. I really like how the love story was developed between the Count and Mena and how the scenery, costumes and dialogue made the story like a gothic fairy tale. Of course Wynona Ryder shines as Mena Murray and she embodies the role of the compassionate, nieve, and child-like character perfectly. Gary Oldman is the greatest Dracula to ever grace the screen and his scenes with Ryder were some of the most magical scenes in a movie I have ever seen. I cannot begin to find the words that describe Gary Oldman's talent. He's truly one of the greatest actors of his generation. This is not the first film that I have seen him in. He brilliantly captures every aspect of his role as the count, from the way he quietly, but passionately gazes at Mena, to his refined, yet brooding and seductive stature and graceful movements of an ancient European aristocrat to even mastering a Transylvanian accent. The lush and colorful costumes and scenery are just a pleasure to behold and the side characters, especially Sadie Frost's Lucy were exceptional. This haunting story and forbidden love may not be true to the book, but it is a splendid marvel to behold.