A forgettable movie, but teens may like it

Rating: 4/10 (7 May 2004)

This movie has non-stop action, but I was bored. I just can't work myself up to care much about these characters since they weren't developed effectively.
Yes, we're told that the Anna's family has been killed by Dracula and there has been an ongoing feud. We're even shown some events leading up to the main story, but I just didn't care a whole lot. Dropping a little lead-in to the story doesn't always work as character development. Most of the movie is big, banal, and boring.
To be fair, some of the fight sequences were interesting and about 4 or 5 different lines in the movie got laughs from the audience, but overall this isn't a movie worth paying $7-$12 to see. Teens may enjoy it on an outing with their friends, and they may feel like they're seeing something dark or edgy. I suspect it won't interest most over- 25-year-olds much, since they'll see a lot of posturing.
The pacing wasn't effective. Stephen Sommers is apparently afraid to let his characters interact in any significant way except fighting. He doesn't allow much down time between fights for character development, plot development, or even for contrast. It all seems like one long fight scene for 2 hours and 10 minutes.
Hand in hand with the pacing, the music is terribly wrong. It does the wrong things at the wrong times. It stays on a hyperactive note for the entire movie--which contributes to the pacing and contrast problems. I got very tired of the drums and orchestra hits at completely inappropriate times. The music tries to make everything seem huge, exciting, or terrifying and succeeds in making everything seem exactly the same for the entire movie. It only wants to play one mood for the entire length. Sometimes less is more, and some restraint and variety are required--something that neither the director nor the composer did right.
There were a few things that made me laugh in this movie although they were not intended to make me laugh.
The squishy/slurpy/slimy sound-effects in part of the movie were so over-the-top that they just called attention to themselves and made me chuckle.
Then there was the CHiPs moment at the end of a vehicle chase scene. Hmm, what's the most spectacular ending for a chase scene in CHiPs and most other 70s cop shows? Expect the same here. I know there was an explanation. It was still funny, explanation or not.
The special effects mostly looked like they cost the studio a lot--which is probably why they seem desperate for this movie to succeed. You'll get some eye candy, so if that's what you're looking for, you might enjoy the movie.
In all, unless you're a teen, you only want to see this movie as a time waster, or for the special effects, I'd go get the video game instead. It's sure to be more involving.