Francis Ford Coppola's Dracula

Rating: 2/10 (2 July 2005)

This movie is surprising because it follows the novel so closely on many points, but at the same time, Coppola deviates entirely from the main focal issue. The movie is more of a tragic love tale for Dracula, trying to regain his lost love Mina. At the same time, Mina is drawn to him, but forced to try and destroy him, and it's all very tragic. This is completely contrived by Coppola; there was never any love interest between Mina and the Count in the novel. This is not some minor plot detail or a little omission from the original; this is creating an entirely different story within the context of the original characters. By itself, the movie is flawed, but it could stand on its own. But I cannot ignore the fact that Coppola changed the characters and their motivations so radically in his movie.