Dracula for the Harry Potter Generation

Rating: Null/10 (10 May 2004)

As an attentive friend of mine described it, this film is "Dracula for the Harry Potter Generation". A very apt description for a film apparently for those with short attention spans, as unfortunately much Hollywood fodder is today.
This is not so much a retelling of Bram Stoker's original story, but a new story by the director as told from Van Helsing's perspective, bearing little or no resemblence to the original. This is true not just of the plot, but of the nature and mood of the film. There are no signs of Coppola, Hertzog or Murnau here.
Count Dracula has found a new cave to call home. He wants babies, and astonishingly, he realises the only way he can have them is to get hold of Frankenstein's monster who somehow wondered onto the set of this film and use his body to conduct the required electricity to bring power to Draculas endless egg pods.
It's quite a ludicrous story, but that's ok. It was written and directed by Stephen Sommers who made the two Mummy films. His fair assessment is that we go to the cinema to have fun, and he takes us on a pretty crazy ride. There is action aplenty and wonderful CG effects to bring the hordes of hell to life. Unfortunately, the constant action and adventure comes at the cost of any real suspense or drama, which to some may not be a bad thing, but to me it is.
Unusually for such a big budget Hollywood film, three aussies star: Hugh Jackman (in an adequate but sadly unremarkable role), David Wenham (in a whacky turn that couldn't be further from his Father Damien in the excellent Molokai) and Richard Roxburgh as Dracula, who I couldn't help but think was hired because they couldn't get Gary Oldman.
I did love the title design on the end credits. There is also some awesome gothic imagery here that wasn't given enough room to breathe amongst the rush to keep things moving. Ultimately, this film serves it's purpose, as long as you know that that purpose is just a couple of hours of over-the-top fun and frolics.