I don't care what anyone says, it's in my top 20!

Rating: 10/10 (8 October 2002)

For some reason, one can call it a guilty pleasure, one can call it just a rare bird, or whatever, I really liked this film. I haven't read the book yet, but I've had friends that have read it and watch it and they were very able to enjoy the film, almost as much as I did. No matter how true the movie is to the book, it dragged me in pretty well.
In brief, Bram Stoker's Dracula is about a Romanian warrior fighting for the Catholic church. As a lot of stories go, he won the battle. But a messenger for the enemy sent a false message to the warrior's wife or girlfriend, one of the two. The note said he'd died from the war and she committed suicide. He got pretty darn p****d by this and did some weird stuff but it's dark and mysterious. He lives on through many many years and sets his sights on Victorian London.
The cast is surprisingly good, except one person. Gary Oldman was perfect for the role of Dracula himself. Winona Ryder sure surprised me with her performance. Anthony Hopkins, always good. But the real surpriser was Tom Waits in his supporting role. Keanu Reeves was the only real downfall to the movie. He was only really good in Bill and Ted, and maybe the Matrix. But nevertheless, surprisingly good acting overall. The movie received three well-deserved Oscars. Sound Effects, Costume design, and (particularly) make-up. But Wojciech Kilar's score should've won something, it was unbelievable.
Overall, one of personal favourites. Some may disagree but I'm sticking to that.