Sensual, Artistic, And Horrific Telling Of Stoker's Classic Tale.

Rating: 9/10 (6 October 2007)

"Dracula" begins with Jonathan Harker (Keanu Reeves), who makes a visit to a Transylvanian castle that homes Count Dracula (Gary Oldman). Count Dracula, who is a blood-drinking king of the undead, takes a liking to Harker's fiancé, Mina Murray (Winona Ryder), who is living back in London. But when Dracula makes his way to the foreign land, many strange things begin to happen. Lucy (Sadie Frost), Mina's childhood friend, is struck ill after having a horrific incident that left her with two puncture wounds on the neck. Abraham Van Helsing (Anthony Hopkins) comes to investigate the strange happenings, and comes to the realization that Dracula is near... and will stop at nothing to pursue Mina, because they have some sort of connection - one from beyond the grave.
Francis Ford Coppola's "Dracula", based on the all-time classic novel by Bram Stoker, is an enthralling and consistently eerie film with many artistic qualities. One of the main things about this film that stands out is its stunning cinematography and its Gothic and grotesque imagery. Coppola has taken the classic horror tale and brought it to the screen as pure eye candy- the entire movie is really a visual treat. Surreal settings, vivid use of colors, and violent imagery blended with sexuality all make it a bizarre and fantastic experience. To my surprise, even, it was a fairly bloody rendition of the tale, but not too over the top. There are some very frightening scenes and a handful that will stick in your mind. Also notable is the special effects work that was done on the movie. The Dracula character goes through many different transformations throughout the story, from an old-aged man, to a young one, and to a vampire beast. Great work in the special effects there, I was surprised at how well done it was.
But, we really have to give credit to Oldman himself, who likely out-does Bela Lugosi's Dracula, with his seductive, frightening performance. He has been praised by many for his performance here, and deservedly so. Winona Ryder, although I couldn't picture her in the role at first, plays Mina excellently. The supporting cast includes Anthony Hopkins (right after his award-winning performance in "The Silence of the Lambs") as Van Helsing, Keanu Reeves as Jonathan (who wasn't great here, passable, but I've never thought he was an impressive actor to begin with), Cary Elwes as Lord Arthur, and Sadie Frost as Lucy. The cast was overall very strong, and it was neat to see some of the actors playing characters from the Victorian era. I admired this movie as well for staying fairly true to Stoker's novel, everything was adapted well.
Overall, Coppola's "Dracula" is probably the best film telling out there. If there's a better one, I sure haven't seen it. If you know the story well, you won't be displeased. The cinematography and visuals are enough to deem this film as a must-see at least once, but all things considered, this is an artistic, frightening, fantastic movie. Excellent from beginning to end, and probably the best vampire film that I've ever seen. Highly recommended based on its excellent script and truly stunning visuals, you won't be disappointed. 9/10.