Amazing... And Then There's Keanu.

Rating: 8/10 (5 August 2012)

Dracula may be -the- most uneven movie I have ever seen. I would give it a true '10'... and rank it as one of the most interesting movies ever made if they could somehow digitally replace Keanu Reaves. As he did in 'Much Ado About Nothing', his surfer dude persona sticks out like a sore thumb. It's such a huge mis-casting because the rest of the production is just so captivating.
Music, sets, costumes, old school effects (I mean seriously old school---like right out of the 20's and 30's). The acting is also fantastically over the top---again it's like watching something from the 30's or 40's. Some of the side parts are hammy, but frankly, that's kind of the idea.
Oddly enough, the one exception to the over-acting is the lead: Oldman's Dracula is a tour de force. He plays The Count in 5-6 'versions' and in each guise he is a -presence-. (And BTW, his accent is amazing. His renderings only add to his gravitas... no Bela Lugosi jokes here.)
Can't recommend it enough if a) you can get in the spirit of English romances (I always think of Rebecca) and b) you can get past Keanu.