Way too long. Francis, this is Dracula, not The Godfather!

Rating: Null/10 (8 April 2004)

"Bram Stoker's Dracula", for its subject matter, is just too long. Come on...it's a movie about a vampire and a vampire hunter and a love story...no need for its monstrous length. It just crams so much pointless storyline into not-to-be-taken-seriously film, with the actors speaking pseudo-Shakespearean lines...its just not worth it.
The performances are good though, Anthony Hopkins putting forth the most, playing a very cool Van Helsing - better than Hugh Jackman. Winona Rider is pretty good, as is Gary Oldman, and Keannu Reeves isn't as bad as usual. The worst part is Francis Ford Coppola's direction. It's just too self-loving. He's really made nothing very good since "The Godfather: Part II".
Nonetheless, the climax is both very fun and very exciting. Surprising that Coppola filmed such a great action sequence, it was like a combination of a good western with a great chariot race.
To me this movie is floating around somewhere in between 6.5 and 7, but I'll give it a 7 out of 10 for its performances.