Blood.

Rating: 9/10 (16 June 2004)

Francis Ford Coppola is an amazing director worthy of the status he's been given by making some of the best movies of all time. Dracula is a very decent movie but not a classic, even though I simply adore Gary Oldman and love his simply amazing portrayal of Dracula in this film. A true joy to watch and never one to disappoint. His evil laugh during "the baby scene" is one for the history books....too evil for words. Chilling. It also has Keanu Reeves in it, my least favorite actor. Keanu can't act to save his life, and the only rational reason for his movie appearances (notice I didn't say performances) is the fact that he's a panty waist pushover that will never object to anything any director asks him to do which makes him more palatable as a casting choice, I suppose. I can't imagine anyone who would actually think he's a good or great actor. I respect Coppola but I have no idea what in the hell he was thinking when he cast this joke and at the same time displayed impeccable taste by casting Oldman. Without Keananu, I might like it a little better. At least his role is fairly minimal.
I do enjoy watching this film very much and I even own it, but when I view it I'm simply waiting for Oldman to appear and display his talent. The guy is a chameleon with all of the different accents he has successfully portrayed over his years of playing villains and never falls below my high expectations, even in films that are mediocre. His Transylvanian accent is so thick that it's difficult to believe that he doesn't actually speak that way. Winona Ryder is satisfactory as Dracula's lover but she always reminds me of an upset little sister with her pouty expressions and melodrama. I will admit that there is quite an unusual amount of chemistry between her and Oldman here. Anthony Hopkins plays Van Helsing, the vampire hunter, and is amusing to watch and also does a fine job with his accent.

I think the reason the film wasn't perfect other than the questionable casting choices is that it seems to take the road of style over substance. I feel it could have been perfect. The sets, costumes, and musical score are all great and the story progresses quite nicely but it seems absurd at times. Also, Coppola must've had a massive unrelenting erection while filming. The unneeded nudity and sexual provocative-ness of the female vampires seems a little silly sometimes. This very well could have been in Bram Stoker's book, which I have not read, and I could be entirely wrong but it seems to be a little much even though I truly love breasts. Some of the special effects are poor which is most likely a result of Coppolla's studio approaching bankruptcy during filming. Other than that the film has a great story and is filmed beautifully and is very enjoyable to watch. Overall, above average. I would love to see Gary get more starring roles. I'll get off his lap now, my dance is over.