Stunningly different with an occasional element of silliness that prevents the film from total excellence.

Rating: 9/10 (1 December 2013)

The legend of Vlad the Impaler (Gary Oldman) has taken over the Dracula legend through books and documentaries, and the premise of this movie has added an interest to the real-life historical character who once fought on the side of the Catholic Church in a manner so evil and brutal that the vampire legend sprang out of his existence. Here, he is fighting the Turks for the church, impaling them on sticks, although the film cuts out the visual of him dining while surrounded by the bodies, some of whom were still alive and in agony as they lingered up in the air gasping their last breaths. The suicide of his fiancée (Winona Ryder) upon falsely learning of his death makes the church damn her, and he in turn, damns the church. He's turned instantly into a blood-drinking demon who will rise up from death after sending a sword into a cross, and all of a sudden, 500 years later, looks like a combination of Benjamin Franklin and the aging Salieri from "Amadeus", albeit with a very bad hair style.
When Keanu Reeves, as a British attorney, makes plans to head to the Carpathian Mountains to meet an aging count (actually you-know-who), he bids a sweet farewell to his worried fiancée (also Winona Ryder), and after heading through the spookiest looking mountain range, ends up in the company of this aging ghoul. Oldman continues to play the part, taking every ounce of it seriously, which makes it easier to forgive the laughable wig he is wearing. (Mel Brooks would playfully spoof that with Leslie Nielsen as the Count in "Dracula: Dead and Loving It"; A Broadway musical version which was a huge flop also kept it in. Go figure.) Odd things happen, especially with the Count's three wives who seem to be literally connected at the hip in one scene, and a gruesome gift for them from the count himself may upset some viewers. Between Oldman's wig and Reeves' over the top attempt at serious acting, this sequence is both intriguing and sometimes too silly to be believed, especially a shot of Oldman literally shooting up straight as he comes out of a coffin.
When Dracula finally arrives in London, he's taken on a third look, and here, he's a dashing aristocrat who can walk about during the day without fear of the sun. This has upset some "Dracula" connoisseurs, but for plot purposes, it works, at least in this version. The chemistry between Oldman and Ryder as they connect in some sort of time travel re-meeting is undeniable. But a vampire is a vampire is a vampire, and with ethics or not, the blood lust means evil, and evil must be destroyed. That brings in Anthony Hopkins as Van Helsing, sort of silly at first, but never imbecilic. Sadie Frost is a delightful flirt as Ryder's pal Lucy, but that wedding dress that she must wear seems more appropriate for some gay priest drag ball.
Overall, however, this is a satisfying update of the story, and you certainly feel that they've captured each era of the story wonderfully. As directed by Francis Ford Coppola, this is one of the first modern films with this high definition look, and the photographers went overtime to get everything just perfect. Shadows of Dracula moving in other directions than the actual character on screen make an unforgettable visual, and as Dracula is able to turn himself into whatever image he likes (including a werewolf at one point), makes his legend more intriguing. A tense finale has everybody back in the Carpathian Mountains and is followed by a beautiful Annie Lennox song that wraps everything up neatly. While not perfect by any means, it is still a film I can watch over and over again, finding new elements in it which I missed in previous viewings. If only the lack of subtleties in this had been a lesson to learn and had influenced Coppola in his very busy "Mary Shelley's Frankenstein" remake, that film wouldn't have been as disappointing. You can't repeat the same formula twice and necessarily succeed.