Not so great, really

Rating: 4/10 (5 February 2002)

Bram Stoker's novel "Dracula" is the most filmed book in the world. There are a few quite decent movies based on it, a pair of real masterpieces (like "Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens" from 1922), and a whole bunch of really, really bad ones. Coppola's interpretation of the story is not one of the masterpieces. By far. The creepy, mystical terror that drives the novel and the classical Dracula movies was, unfortunately, drowned in gushing blood and sexuality. Moreover, a few "explanations" of the background of the undead count and his acting was added to this filming of the novel, which in my opinion reduced the mystics and terror further. Coppola's film is skillfully made, contains some really good acting, and has a romantic touch to it, which is what is saving it from being grouped with the really bad vampire movies from the seventies. I rate this Dracula movie as "decent", not more - not less.