This movie makes me sad

Rating: 4/10 (12 July 2005)

The movie is decent. It's not terrible, but it certainly isn't amazing, either. I don't think it's beautiful, and I don't think it's deep. I might, however, be biased, as Bram Stoker's "Dracula" is my favourite book.
*SPOILERS AHEAD* My main problem with the movie is that it utterly butchers the character of Mina Harker. It sacrifices the relationship between her and Lucy for the relationship between Mina and the Count - a relationship that in fact never existed on the pages of Stoker's novel.
Mina's best friend is Lucy. Dracula kills Lucy. So WHY does Mina love Dracula? Why did Coppola feel the need to take the route of forbidden love between the Count and Mina when the love between Mina and Jonathan was already quite obvious in the novel? Another thing that greatly annoys me is the excessive amount of topless women in the movie. I don't care what anyone says - nothing can make a blood transfusion sexy, not even a topless Lucy.
Aside from that, Coppola did manage to stay somewhat true to the book. But his movie still falls short. I have to wonder if I'll ever see the day that someone decides that it IS okay to do Stoker's novel the justice it deserves.