Here is My Movie Review of Bram Stoker's Dracula

 

Here is My Movie Review of Bram Stoker's Dracula

Now when it comes to this film I have some really mixed feelings about this film because there is stuff I like but then there's stuff that I really don't like about this film. Now I will say that as a horror movie it's really entertaining. But in terms of the best acted horror film no it's not the best acted horror film of all time. Now I will say re-watching the film. I still like it. Now again it's not a perfect film there's a lot of problems that I have with it but I think it's really fun and entertaining. 

Now the story in the film is really interesting because it focuses on Dracula who finds out that his girlfriend Ellisabeta has killed herself so he decides to kidnap this girl named Mina Harker because he believes that she is a reincarnated version of his girlfriend. So he can turn her into his vampire wife and it's up to Mina Harker's husband Jonathan Harker to team up with Abraham Van Helsing to get her back and take down Dracula before Sundown to prevent Dracula from reaching full power. That is basically what the story is for the film. Now in terms of the story I think it is surface-able because there is tension throughout the story because Jonathan Harker wants to get his wife back from Dracula. Also I do like the idea of Abraham Van Helsing teaming up with Jonathan Harker to try to kill Dracula. I think it is a good concept and I think for the most part the film executes pretty well. There are a few moments that the story does fall apart in terms of writing. 

Now let's talk about the acting and this is where I have some of my problems with this film because well there are good performances in this film a lot of them are really bad mainly because the actors they have in this movie are really miss cast and they come off as flat and uninteresting. 

But let's talk about the best thing in this movie which is of course Gary Oldman who played our main villain Dracula he is the big stand out of the entire film because he gives one the creepiest and one of the most haunting performances of the entire film and you can tell that Gary Oldman was having a lot of fun as this character, and look even people who hated this movie they did say Gary Oldman in the best part of this entire film. Now the character of Dracula is really interesting because on top of being really scary and really Sinister. He is surprisingly  very sympathetic because he had to watch his wife die and he believed that if he turns Mina Harker  Into a vampire and she becomes his bride he would be happy So in this film he had a really tragic and interesting motivation because He wants to feel complete so by turning Mina Harker into a vampire he believes he won't be alone anymore. Now the themes with Dracula are incredible. There are so many moments that I enjoy with Dracula whether it is his introduction scene of him being born. Now one of my favorite moments is where Dracula shows his true form to Abraham Van Housing and it kind of reminds me of Dr Kurt Langstrom from Batman where he turns into Man-Bat. To be honest Gary Oldman would have been really good as Man-Bat in a Batman movie. Now it does lead to some really scary and really chilling moments throughout the film. The chemistry between him and Keanu Reeves, Winona Ryder, Anthony Hopkins, and Tom Waits is terrific. Fun fact 13 years after this film was released Gary Oldman would eventually go on to play commissioner Gordon in the Dark Knight Trilogy and after this film of the released he would also go on to voice one of the best dreamworks villains of all time that is of course Lord Shen from Kung Fu Panda 2.

Now everyone has talked about Keanu Reeves's performance as Jonathan Harker and yes it is really bad because the accent that Keanu Reeves puts on is supposed to be a British accent but  it sounds really dumb. Also this is known to be one of the worst casting choices of all time and to be honest they should have casted someone like Ben Kingsley Jude Law or Patrick Stewart I think those choices would have been better. No well the performance is really bad. The character of Jonathan Harker is decent but he's not the most memorable thing in this film because well the ark that could go through is pretty good how he wants to save his girlfriend Mina Harker from Dracula. It doesn't really lead to anything memorable. Now this is not a bad character arc but it could have been a lot better. Now I will say though the scene with Jonathan Harker is pretty good whether it is the final confrontation he had with Dracula or the theme where he first meets Abraham Van Housing. It does lead to some of the most memorable moments in the film. The chemistry between him and Gary Oldman is still decent.

Now Let's talk about Winona Ryder who plays Mina Harker. Much like Keanu Reeves she is also not that good in this movie. Now I won't see though she's not as horrible as Keanu Reeves. But  having said that she's still miscast, her British accent is slightly better than Keanu Reeves's Brush accent but still not that good to be honest I think they should have gone with someone like Cate Blanchett or Helen Bottom Carter Those two choices would have been a lot better. Now the character of Mina Harker is really interesting because he's not a bad character but much like her husband Jonathan Harker she doesn't really go through a character arc. She is mostly interacting with Dracula for the majority of the film because she is locked in his castle being forced to be his girlfriend. Now the scenes with Mina Harker  Are are interesting like the moments where she first meets Dracula or the thing she gets turned into a vampire was really scary and Dudley to some really nail biting and suspenseful moments throughout the film the chemistry between her and Gary Oldman is really great and you can tell that both actors were having a lot of fun and their characters. 

Now even though Tom Waits doesn't play a big role in the film he still does an excellent job as the character of Renfield he gives a really haunting and manic performance and does work for the film because this film does get over the top in some areas but it works. Now Renfield as a character is really interesting because he is very similar to Hannibal Lecter from Silence of the Lambs because he is mostly locked up in a mental institution for the entire film and he is here to answer The cops questions about the whereabouts of Dracula. The scenes of Renfield are really entertaining whether it's him eating the bugs or him going crazy in the mentor Asylum it does lead to some really creepy and some really entertaining moments throughout the film. The chemistry between him and Gary Oldman is terrific. 

Now let's talk about Auntie Hopkins. He is a tremendous actor. He has given some really awesome and captivating performances like his iconic performance as Hannibal Lecter and Silence of the Lambs. Odin in the MCU. He was  also really good in the movie Locked as William. Now in this film he still does a tremendous job as Abraham Van Helsing. In fact he is probably my favorite performance of the entire film because I can tell that Auntie Hopkins is having a lot of fun as this character. Now the character of Abraham Van Halsing is accurate to how he is in the book because he is a vampire Hunter he wants to take down Dracula and kill him so he wouldn't kill anyone else and he wants to help Jonathan Harker rescue his wife Mina Harker from Dracula. One of the scenes with Abraham Van Helsing are really tremendous whether it is him trying  to kill Dracula Or him leading his team to Dracula's Castle oh really fun and really nail biting moments in the film. But my favorite moment with Abraham Van Helsing Is surprisingly the dinner scene because he's telling his story to everyone and the kids ask him how did you kill the female vampire and Abraham Van Helsing Says all simply stabbed her through the heart and chopped her head off Was it something you should not mention to children but the way that Anthony Hopkins deliver the line it comes off as a really dark but really funny moment of the film. The chemistry between him and Gary Oldman is terrific. Fun fact 19 years after the film was released Anthony Hopkins would eventually go on to play Odin in the MCU.

Now let's talk about Francis Ford Coppola. Now this guy has directed so many tremendous films like the Godfather films, The Outsiders, Rumble Fish. So how did he do directing this film well I am mix on it because I will think he does get the dark and Gothic tone of this film right this is a horror movie and he doesn't hold back with any of the violence but I also like how he the character of Dracula by keeping him very scary and very Sinister but also kind of making him sympathetic because this Dracula just wants his girlfriend back so he decided to kidnap Mina because he believed she was a reincarnation of his deceased wife and he want to make her his bride by turning her into a vampire like him. I also like how he adapted him  from the book  because Abraham Van Helsing  is a vampire Hunter who enjoys killing other worldly beings to protect Earth. Well I  like how he made Abraham Van Helsing both serious but also a little funny with that one moment at the dinner table because of the way Anthony Hopkins delivers his line of dialogue  in that scene. But unfortunately with the other characters he doesn't really do anything with them. Jonathan Harker and Mena Harker are just really dull and really flat and not helping is that Keanu Reeves still gives a really horrible and really dumb performance as the character. But he did a magnificent job with the cinematography, how he makes it all dark and Gothic and it feels like a Tim Burton film. That's how tremendous the cinematography is in this film. So overall I think he did a decent job directing this film. 

So in conclusion I still really enjoyed this film The Storyline was really interesting how it revolved around Dracula one two kidnap Jonathan Harker's girlfriend Mina to turn her into a vampire So she can be his wife wasn't interesting idea and for the most part it does work Even though it does fall apart in the writing. The performances are really mixed. I do think Gary Oldman and Anthony Hopkins steal the entire movie as both Dracula and Abraham Van Helsing because you can tell that both of them are having a lot of fun as these characters. But Keanu Reeves and Winona Ryder  didn't really give good performances as their characters. They feel like they are really myth casting. To be honest I think actors like Jude Law and Cate Bianchant should have played the main characters in this film. It would have been a lot better. But I really enjoyed the cinematography, how it looks like a Tim Burton film because of the Gothic colors throughout the film. I also think Dracula as a character is tremendous, how his motivation is simply driven by grief and loneliness, how he wants Mina to turn her into a vampire so he could be happy with her was a really awesome and interesting motivation. The scenes with Dracula were  really awesome like his introduction the same way he reveals his true form to Abraham Van Helsing. Well, there are really dark and really terrifying moments in the film. Also the action scenes   are really good, especially the final claim not to battle against  Abraham Van Helsing and Dracula. Also Anthony Hopkins as Abraham Van Helsing was my favorite performance throughout the film because you can tell that Auntie Hopkins was having a lot of fun as the character. Also the whole dinner scene was really funny and really entertaining. Now the film does have problems like the performances are not perfect and the writing could have been a little bit better. But I highly recommend you watch this film if you ever want to see Gary Oldman as Dracula then you get that in this film and you will not be disappointed. I give this film 7/10.