Dracula - 1992 (R)

Actors: Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder, Anthony Hopkins, Keanu Reeves, Cary Elwes
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Reviewed: 26 May 2005



I don't know much about Dracula. I never saw Van Helsing, and when I read Bram Stoker's novel,
I was 9 or 10. The cover of this movie is actually what caught my eye, and I figured it would
be worth a look. I'm glad I did. While not the best movie I've seen (and certainly not Coppola's
best), this is a very well made movie. The opening 5 or 10 minutes, in particular, are among
the best I've ever seen. I would say without a doubt this movie has the best introduction I've
ever seen. In terms of action, it's no Private Ryan, but the emotion and atmosphere is unmatched.
Everyone knows the story of Dracula, so I won't explain it, but the acting is generally good. 
Keanu Reeves is a little stiff, but what else is new? Anthony Hopkins is electric as Van Helsing,
and Gary Oldman is excellent as Dracula. The camerawork and architecture is also very good. It
won 3 Acadamy Awards, and one was for costume design or something along those lines, and it is
easy to see why. It perfectly captures the 1850's feel (not that I know much about the 1850's
feel). It isn't a perfect movie, but it certainly deserves to be a classic. Rent it, at least.
It's worth seeing just to hear how cool the narrator sounds when he says the Dracula Knights (and
pronouces it drah-cool-ya instead of drac-yule-a). Awesome.

SCORE: 7/10

GOOD QUOTE
-She lives beyond the grace of God, a wanderer in the outer darkness. She is vampyr, nosferatu.
-I shall rise from my own death, to avenge hers with all the powers of darkness!
-I renounce God!

BAD QUOTE
-Yes, she was in great pain! We cut off her head, drove a stake through her heart, and burned it!