Pop Culture Thoughts

Rating: 8/10 (25 December 2018)

An unconventional film adaptation, Francis Ford Coppola's 1992 blockbuster has aged well, with the passage of time smoothing out some of its more glaring faults. Although the performances are distractedly weak (in particular Keanu Reeves, Winona Ryder and a buffoonish Anthony Hopkins), there's no denying the visual beauty and power of Coppola's technical approach. Employing just about every cinematic tool within his arsenal, Coppola's version of Bram Stoker's immortal novel focuses on opulence and splendor over the less savory aspects of its blood-soaked story, and the result is a peculiar, unique horror entry that often feels like several movies playing at once. It's a confusing, majestic, inconsistent, frustrating, and splendidly entertaining movie unlike anything else, and remains deeply fascinating even decades later. Amidst a sea of weak performances, watch for a stunning vampiric turn by Sadie Frost as Lucy, who walks away with the movie.