A deeply flawed, but periodically excellent rendition

Rating: 7/10 (10 September 2009)

This film features terrific art direction & costuming, but suffers from uneven acting performances and overzealous use of digital effects. Overall, Coppola's "Dracula" isn't a terrible film, but it isn't a great one, and nearly every scene has some noticeable flaw. Perhaps most importantly, many of the acting performances are simply not convincing. (Read: Keanu Reeves and Wynona Rider). In addition, Coppola seems insistent on oversaturating the viewer with Judo-Christean and sexual symbolism that, all too often, comes across as hamfisted and gratuitous. I think Coppola could have done more with less in this area. On the positive, Gary Oldman provides a fresh and multi-dimensional performance as the Count and Anthony Hopkins makes for probably the best Van Helsing I've seen. Lastly, I thought several of the scenes were very well conceived and totally memorable. The result is a very unbalanced, somewhat messy, but wholly entertaining piece that is, at times, unintentionally funny and, at other times, completely terrific. The script is, I'm told, quite true to Bram Stoker's novel and it should appease those seeking a more faithful adaptation. In total, Coppola's "Dracula" is one of the best recent adaptations of the famous Dracula story. It isn't perfect, by any means, but it definitely isn't garbage. ---|--- Reviews by Flak Magnet