Bloody and Lavish

Rating: 8/10 (24 August 2004)

I love this film. I recognize that there are some supremely hammy parts but the truth is that they didn't bother me. Winona Ryder and Keanu Reeves are woefully miscast and their performances (and accents) are as bad as expected but the super lusty Sadie Frost as Lucy is a true over the top gem and Anthony Hopkins brings life and humor to the Van Helsing character.
What is great about this film is its visual lushness, the tension building score and the melodrama. I enjoyed that the count's past was explored and the timeless romantic connection between he and Mina was interesting. Some people have a difficult time with Gary Oldman in the role of the vampire (it's probably the hot cross bun hairdo) but Oldman brings a sensual intensity to everything he does and he gives a unique and passionate portrayal of the lovesick count.
Dracula's renouncing of god, Harker's seduction by the brides, Lucy's being ravished by the count/wolf and the chase to beat the sunrise are all great scenes that I could watch again and again.
Adding Bram Stoker's name to the title was probably done in an effort to distinguish this Dracula film from the numerous other versions. It could just as easily have been called Francis Ford Coppola's Dracula. It is no more faithful to the novel than other versions have been and there's nothing wrong with that considering how lackluster the book is.
Coppola's version is not as scary as the original Nosferatu, not as poetic as Werner Herzog's remake and not as enduring as the Bela Lugosi version but it is arguably more entertaining than all of them put together.