Dracula 2000

Plot synopsis:
1897 England: The schooner Demeter is nearing England. The crew is dead,
and the captain is lashed to the wheel. Dracula has arrived.2000 London: Matthew Van Helsing [Christopher Plummer], an aging collector of antiques, and his
protegee Simon Sheppard [Jonny Lee Miller] are discussing the purchase of a medieval crossbow
that Matthew means to add to his personal collection in the Carfax Museum.
Among the artifacts on public display, Carfax Museum also houses a
heavily-protected vault, and no one knows what it contains. It must be
pretty valuable, though, so another employee, Solina [Jennifer Esposito], has arranged to
break into the vault and steal whatever is in there.
While Matthew sits in his office at the end of the day, Solina and
her companions (Marcus, Trick, Nightshade, Dax, Charlie, and J.T) break
the computer codes and make their way to the main vault, passing numerous
vampire skulls and crosses along the way, only to find...a coffin. No one
would think to look for treasure in a coffin, they reason, so this must be
it. In searching for a way to open it,Eddie and Dax are impaled by spikes causing an alarm to go off in in Matthew's office. "It's not possible!" Matthew whispers to himself, arms himself with a gun that
shoots silver bullets, and goes down to the vault to find that the coffin
is gone, the thieves having removed it through a hole they've blasted in
the vault's wall. "God help us all!" Matthew exclaims.
When Simon comes into work the next day, he finds Matthew preparing
to travel. But Matthew won't reveal where he is going, so Simon follows
him...all the way to New Orleans.New Orleans: Mary Heller [Justine Waddell] is awakened by a dream in which a vampire is
attacking her. Mary has been having this dream for all her life and finds
them troubling enough that she is receiving counseling from her family
friend, Father David [Nathan Fillion]. She thinks the dreams have to do with something that
happened to her mother before she died, and she thinks Fr David might know
what it is. But Fr David isn't talking. On the other hand, Mary's
roommate, Lucy Westerman [Colleen Fitzpatrick] thinks that all Mary needs is a real man in her
bed. But it's Mardi Gras, and Mary vows not to let it bother her.Meanwhile, the thieves are transporting the coffin on a cargo plane.
Still trying to open it, Nightshade cuts himself. His blood is sucked into
the coffin and the lid opens to reveal a body, a bunch of leeches, and a
crucifix set with a ruby. As Nightshade searches the coffin for more treasure,
Dracula [Gerard Butler] awakens. One by one, the thieves are drained of their blood, and
the plane ultimately crashes in a swamp near New Orleans, the pilot lashed
to his seat. While newscaster Valerie Sharpe [Jeri Ryan] is covering the crash,
Dracula emerges from the swamp and makes her his second vampiress (Solina
being first).Matthew and Simon go to the townhall where the bodies from the plane
crash have been taken. By now, they're all vampires. Matthew and Simon
manage to destroy some of them, but Solina and Marcus escape. As Matthew
and Simon drive away, Matthew finally fills Simon in on what's happening.
Stoker's Dracula is real, he says, and Matthew Van Helsing is really
Abraham Van Helsing, kept alive by injections of Dracula's blood, which he
has been filtering through leeches. Van Helsing has been keeping Dracula's
body ever since he bested him in 1897. Unlike other vampires, who can be
destroyed by piercing their hearts or cutting off their heads, Dracula
cannot die, and Van Helsing intends to remain alive until such time as he
can learn the secret to Dracula's origin and find the way to end him. So
far, all he has managed to learn is that Dracula hates God and is repulsed
by all things Christian. He also reveals that he (Van Helsing) has
fathered a daughter, Mary Heller, and that Dracula has come to New Orleans
to find her. The two decide to go looking for Mary, Van Helsing to her
house and Simon to the Virgin Megastore where she and Lucy both work.Dracula is apparently following the same plan. He comes to Virgin
looking for Mary, but Lucy tells him that she isn't there. Lucy takes
Dracula home to wait for Mary. Dracula seduces Lucy and turns her into
vampiress #3. When Simon arrives at Virgin, Mary has returned. Simon tries
to tell her about her father. As they leave the shop, Simon is attacked by
Marcus. "Never ever fuck with an antiques dealer," Simon warns Marcus just
before beheading him. Meanwhile, Van Helsing arrives at Mary's house, only
to find Dracula waiting for him. "You can't have her!" Van Helsing
exclaims, but Dracula refuses to listen. "You stole life from my blood and
passed it to another," he hisses. "She's MY Mary now." With that, Dracula
kills Van Helsing by tossing him into a mirror.Mary goes home to find her father dead and the three vampiresses and
Dracula awaiting her. She escapes into Simon's arms. Looking for a sacred
place to spend the night, they go to a church. While in the parish
library, they research Dracula's background, learning only what they
already know about his despise of all things Christian--holy water, the
cross, the Bible. Only his dislike of silver remains unexplained.
Suddenly, Dracula appears. Mary flees into the church cemetery while Simon
attempts to divert Dracula with an open Bible. Dracula *is*
diverted...right into the cemetery where he explains to Mary, "I have
walked the earth for centuries in search of a soul not bitten but born.
Everything I am is yours, and all that you are is mine."Dracula takes Mary to the church roof where he reveals to her the
secret of his long existence. He is Judas Iscariot, the disciple who sold
out Christ to the Romans for 30 pieces of silver (hence, Dracula's dislike
of silver). In atonement, Judas hung himself, but the rope broke and God
scourged him with eternal life as a vampire. In a soliloquy in front of a
lighted crucifix, Dracula cries out to God, "Now I drink the blood of
*your* children. You made the world in your image. Now I make it in mine."Meanwhile, Simon sees the three vampiresses feasting on Mardi Gras
revelers. He stakes Valerie, but the remaining two capture him. Dracula
takes Mary to Simon and tells her to feed from him. "I'd like his head,"
Mary says while unsheathing a sword. Just as she prepares to swing the
sword, Lucy cries out, "She's faking!" In the melee that follows, Mary
beheads Lucy instead of Simon, Simon beheads Solina, and Dracula winds up
hanging by his neck from the lighted crucifix...just as the sun comes up.
Dracula bursts into flames. Mary vows to take over her father's job of keeping Dracula's ashes, lest Dracula find a way to return to life.
[Original Synopsis by bj_kuehl.]

Tags: comedy, suspenseful, gothic, murder, paranormal, cult, violence, plot twist, flashback, good versus evil, psychedelic, humor, revenge

Review:
Christopher Plummer has, previously, suffered from what I call "Michael Caine" syndrome; making any film that will write him a cheque, Johnny Lee Miller was amusing in "Trainspotting" and, let's not kid each other, there is no mystery as to why Jennifer Esposito and Jeri Ryan were cast.
Seriously....Mary works in one of the stores which means we get prominent t-shirt coverage....not to mention the gawdy neon sign, the truck in the garage etc.....however, Dracula needs virgins, right?By far the most interesting part of this film was the story behind the creation of Dracula.
Taking the myth back to the time of the crucifixion, with Judas Iscariot suffering some fairly serious guilt issues leading to his suicide and eventual "re-birth"....good angle: it helped to explain the vampires aversion to all things holy and dislike of silver (as in 30 pieces of...).
The reason this movie is amazing, is because it takes the old Dracula tale that everyone knows and puts it into a modern time situation.
The acting in this movie is wonderful, actors like Johnny Lee Miller, Gerald Gutler, Christopher Plummer, and Omar Epps did fantastic jobs on their roles.
They are wrong of course - those close to me have taken sadistic pleasure in assuring me I look more like a cross between Woody Harrelson and Kelsey Grammar - not particularly good for my sex-symbol status, but useful if I ever wanted work as a stunt double on the set of Cheers.Anyway, it turns out I chose wisely - Dracula 2000 is a hoot.
There was a very passionate vampire story going on, covered up by a high-tech monster movie (think Bram Stoker's Dracula coated with a layer of Underworld or League of Extraordinary Gentlemen).Considering the double tone of this film, I'm not surprised to see Christopher Plummer co-starring along some very fresh-faced young actors.
Also conflicted is the wonderful Christopher Plummer, who is so present in the role of Van Helsing that he really sells the premise of the whole re-invention in the film's first few minutes.For levity, Dracula's new brood of followers have a lot of trendy, new-age comments to make on the pluses and minuses of their new, undead status.
The story is very convoluted but it comes down to Dracula (Gerard Butler) is search of Van Helsing's (Christopher Plummer) daughter Mary (Justine Waddell) in modern day New Orleans.
The cast is  great and the performances by Gerard Butler, Justine Waddel, Jonny Lee Miller, Colleen Fitzpatrick (Vitamin C), Jennifer Esposito, and Cristopher Plummer are some of the best actors that I have seen!!!
Anyone looking for books of the genre see the authors above and if you like TV vampire try Kindred: the embraced, great show that ended too quickly because the main actor died riding his motorcycle and he was a good actor..
This movie rehashes the worst of Bram Stoker's Dracula (Van Helsing), Anne Rice's Vampire Lestat (rock music and silly biblical references), and Blade (high-tech toys).
With director Patrick Lussier at the helm—who certainly knows how to handle his special effects and action, and who has no qualms about dishing up plenty of gnarly violence—this had the potential to be a hugely enjoyable updating of the Dracula mythos, but the film rarely lives up to its promise.It all starts well enough, with a bunch of ruthless criminals breaking into Van Helsing's vault and stealing the silver coffin within, convinced that it contains something of immense value.
Unfortunately, once the wheels are set in motion, matters quickly go downhill.Most of the blame can be placed on the lousy casting/weak performances: Butler makes for a dreadful Dracula, his goofy grin and rugged looks more suited to Jennifer Aniston rom-coms than horror films; Johnny Lee Miller is about as emotive as a fish; and Waddell is too ineffectual to believe that she could be related to Van Helsing and infected by the DNA of Dracula.
I'm an atheist"—groan), a script that meanders aimlessly for much of the running time, and some of the most blatant 'product placement' I've ever had the misfortune to witness (even if it is slightly amusing that the company being advertised is Virgin).The inclusion of three really hot vampire brides (played by Jennifer Esposito, Colleen Fitzpatrick and Jeri Ryan) compensates slightly for the film's crappier elements, as do a few choice moments of gore and a satisfyingly spectacular demise for Dracula, but on the whole Dracula 2000 proves to be a frustratingly mediocre movie..
I watched this as a fan of Jonny Lee Miller's, but found myself coming away from it with a tremendous new liking for Scottish actor Gerard Butler (from Phantom of the Opera).
Still not very good though, but I've seen greater disasters under the `Wes Craven Presents'-label70 years after Bela Lugosi made him immortal, new blood is running through the veins of the horror icon Dracula (which is a pretty ironic statement to itself).
All of a sudden, this version comes up with a whole new historical background for DraculaHe's portrayed like a real ladies-man and director Lussier even suggests that his wrath against humanity goes all the way back to the Biblical beginningI'm not quite sure what to think of this whole character-twist.
Gerard Butler is pretty weak as the bloodsucking vampire and he hasn't exactly got the charisma and appearance to play himOf course, he can't be blamed for that entirely as it's as good as impossible to follow into the footsteps of brilliant actors like Bela Lugosi, Christopher Lee or Gary Oldman who gave image to Dracula before him.
and you get a confusing mess of a film - Dracula 2000.I really cannot find any good things to say about this movie, as if it wasn't bad enough that it was made in the first place, they seem to have made Johnny Lee Miller effect an English accent ...
Taking huge jumps in plot logic (both real logic and vampire movie logic), the film throws up a few average action scenes and not much else.
Neither the direction nor the script do anything to justify the update of this story and in the end it doesn't even really stand out as a good teen horror.The cast flatters the film and most of them are badly used with the bigger names playing second fiddle to the lesser names (in my opinion).
The big names of Epps, Thomas, Esposito and a few others all look sexy and appealing but the film uses them badly considering their star status (consider Epps' face being prominent on the poster to see what I mean  that's practically false advertising!).Overall this is a fairly standard modern horror  a bit of gore, no real scares, no real thrills, poor plotting, poor characters and only a handful of amusing kiss-off lines.
Both Christopher Plummer as Van Helsing and Gerard Butler as Dracula are very good actors in their own right and it shows.
However, as far as a good vampire movie, I think i'll stick to Bram Stoker's Dracula if I want to see a good Dracula.The man who played Dracula was not a convincing, romantic yet cruel character.
It took a long time for the story to get around to what the movie was really about.That storyline, girl born with Dracula's blood running through her veins...that's a good storyline.
Someone very well could have taken their anger over having wasted money on this horrendous film out on me!It has bad acting, a bad plot, horrible writing, it's very predictable, filled with plot holes and plot devices, and Dracula looks like Donny Osmond.
Well, my friend thought so, anyway...Whatever happened to original horror movies, like the ones Wes Craven used to make?
The cast in the film, including: Johnny Lee Miller, Justine Waddell, Gerard Butler, Colleen Fitzpatrick, Jennifer Esposito and Christopher Plummer were all great and made the film even more interesting.
It was a good idea to set it mainly in New Orleans; it fitted well with the feel of the movie.Jonny Lee Miller rocked as the hero, quickly finding his feet in the battle against the undead.The guy playing Dracula was also excellent, scary but attractive at the same time.
Finding it robbed, Matthew Van Helsing, (Christopher Plummer) tells his assistant Simon Sheppard, (Johnny Lee Miller) that he will track down the thieves, and sets out to New Orleans to track down his stolen coffin, carrying the body of Dracula, (Gerald Butler) the vampire lord.
Or atleast I guess it is, as I am trying to put together all the things I liked about it - which strangely a lot of other reviewers didn't like.I liked Lee Miller a lot and loved the three vamp babes - I think Esposito and Ryan are gorgeous women.....The plot was not THAT bad, I liked the different aspect of Dracula's origins and the effects were very good imo.If you want an intellectual movie - don't watch it as you'll only want to complain at the end.
Although i was looking forward to this movie i couldnt help but wonder if they would use CGI.which i think has been done to death in movies like Mummy Returns and American werewolf in Paris and worse look rubbish compared to films 20 years earlier.this then comes as a breath of fresh air as this is more Matrix than any of them.the story goes further back than usual.the cast are great Johnny Lee Miller being a loud mouthed cockney is a little poor.i maybe would of liked a more classical actor as Dracula.but there few and far between.Timothy Dalton years ago would of been terrific.as this one was more a lost boy than anything else.but the film is fun and not many recent horror movies can claim that..
If you are a fan of the Dracula/Vampire Genre then this is a film for you.
If you are a fan of the Dracula/Vampire Genre then this is a film for you, otherwise it's not an outstanding horror, does take an interesting slant on the story which previously has not been done, the effects aren't great and the action lacked by comparison to most modern movies, the suspense wasn't too great either but an interesting idea..
This movie had the potential to be a good film, but the plot ends up getting fuzzy and transformed into a really awkward story.
For a real vampire film, Go watch Bram Stoker's Dracula instead..
Also look out for seductive roommate Colleen Fitzpatrick (as Lucy), self-described sucker Jennifer Esposito (as Solina) and luscious TV newscaster Jeri Ryan (as Valerie Sharpe), The film has a twist on the "Dracula" story which you may find clever or stupid; my reaction was definitely the latter.**** Dracula 2000 (12/22/00) Patrick Lussier ~ Gerard Butler, Jonny Lee Miller, Justine Waddell, Christopher Plummer.
Not As Bad As Other Reviews Make It Out To Be. A group of thieves break into a chamber expecting to find paintings, but instead they release the count (Gerard Butler) himself, who travels to New Orleans to find his nemesis' daughter, Mary Van Helsing.First of all, let us mention the bad elements: the film seems to be a non-stop advertisement for Virgin and Amstel Light, and is shot what is now known as MTV-style.
It just has a bubbly feel, and while not a "dead teenager" movie, has the same sort of thing going on -- with a few effects from "The Matrix" thrown in.And while some of the plot seemed wrong (I do not know why we needed Dracula's three brides, a girl named Lucy and other throwbacks when we already established that the Bram Stoker book exists in this world), I generally liked certain aspects -- the way to keep Dracula imprisoned, and the concept of using leeches to filter vampire blood.
I have seen Gerard Butler in the new adaptation of the Gaston Leroux novel, The Phantom of the Opera, and I thought that he was absolutely amazing and wonderful in that film, which wanted me to see this even more.
Of course it has nothing to do with real Dracula or Stoker's Dracula, but the movie is unique with a story to match and I would recommend it to all vampire lovers and to all others who would just like to see a good movie.I also liked Gerard Butler's acting, he was the most persuasive Dracula ever - he had good looks, serenity, ferocity and he was as romantic as Dracula should be....
I hope there would be more Dracula films made like this because people will take to it more than the same old thing over and over again.
I hope there would be more Dracula films made like this because people will take to it more than the same old thing over and over again.
I am not a big fan of horror movies, and quite frankly I like a good retelling of a classic story that doesn't give me nightmares.
I don't think that vampire films should be judged alongside other types of movies; it's just too hard to do a seriously good movie with vampires at its core, especially when recycling the Dracula character.
Despite popular opinion, I think Coppola's Dracula is not the definitive Dracula film, but that's neither here nor there.I liked the allusions to other vampire stories.
I thought it was pretty crazy to even think of making another Dracula movie -- but they told a pretty good story, which was somewhat daring and creative.
I give this movie 8 stars because it restored my faith in horror, and was a surprisingly good effort at expanding the Dracula story (I love good surprises)..
The movie was worth seeing twice, I personally thought Jonny Lee Miller and Jeri Ryan were fantastic in the film..
I thought this movie was clever by tying in Christianity with the myth of vampires/Dracula!
This movie is similar to other Dracula movies and though it doesn't add anything new to the genre it does contribute an interesting ending.There are suspenseful moments with humour thrown in at good places and the gore was really minimal compared to some vampire movies I've seen.Overall, it was a descent movie, but the ending was really interesting and one that I really enjoyed.
If you watch this movie with the attitude that it doesn't follow the true _Dracula_ plot, you won't like it.
This was the very best vampire movie since, well, "Dracula" (1992).
I really enjoyed Dracula 2000, mainly because of the cinematography and the rather unique turn on the Dracula legend that it presented.Without giving anything away, this movie has one of the more interesting explanations for the origin of Dracula that I have ever seen...it's simply not something I would have ever thought of myself, but does explain many of the classic weaknesses of Dracula.Gerald Butler makes a youngish but still impressive Count.
Christopher Plummer's role of Van Helsing is the highlight of the film for me, as is the short sequence in which he originally "defeats" the Count.While the film wasn't quite as good as the original Nosferatu by Murnau, or Coppola's Bram Stoker's Dracula, it is a fine film and a worthy addition to the vampire canon..
These themes elevates the movie, like the novel itself, above the level of sheer disposable entertainment.Certainly the decision to set the film in the present day will jar some fans of the novel, who are looking for the Victorian setting we all associate with Dracula, but again, this decision works for the story, reminding us that for all our sophistication, we can't be sure that the old evil creatures of folklore won't sneak up on us out of a dark alley.
this is one stylish take on the Dracula mythos.it certainly looks great.Gerard Butler is great as the tile character.this next sentence could be deemed a major spoiler***as far as i know this is the first movie about Dracula which puts a biblical slant on his origin.if you're Christian,especially Catholic,there's a lot in this movie that might offend you.in fact,the movie pretty much bashes(subtly,if that's possible)all things Catholic.for myself,i wasn't offended by it at all.i liked the new slant on an old idea.this is quite a dark movie,but it does have splashes of macabre humour throughout.the music was also great.all in all,it's lots of fun.
But Dr. Van Helsing (Christopher Plummer) and his loyal assistant (Jonny Lee Miller) come to New Orleans to stop the terror.Directed by film editor:Patrick Lussier (White Noise 2, My Bloody Valentine "2009") made an ambitious Vampire film that has some clever ideas.
I thought that Dracula 2000, was great, but I really love those cheesy movies:)  I especially love Gerard Butler!!!
What I really liked about the film was that it threw together a LOT of Dracula/vampire myths that we've seen in other movies and/or heard of from other places.
The story of Dracula takes on a new twist here, which seems to be the most significant aspect of the movie.
This time around the film gets set in the year 2000, and we get an interesting insight into the origin of Dracula.
I have seen most of the dracula films over the years, and always enjoy the different takes on the same story.
Some more interesting than others, I found this one well thought out for a 2000 update.Serpent and the Rainbow has been my favorite Wes Craven film to date, but this one gets high marks.Gerard Butler is a very compelling presence as Dracula.
That is how good the movie Dracula 2000 was!!!!!.
The way that this movie was done was one of the better renditions of Dracula I have yet seen.
But after thinking about it I thought it was ok and the only problem I had was Dracula, maybe someone different would have made this film a little better.He was ok.
Wes Craven takes this premise and updates the novel idea to the year 2000 where we find Abraham Van Helsing (Christopher Plummer), who has tangled with Count Dracula (Gerard Butler) in the past, working as an English antiques dealer in New Orleans.