LogFAQs > #923948840

31. Bram Stoker's Dracula

KBM - 4
Scarlet - 18
Johnbobb - 22
Snake - 28
Inviso - 30
JONA - 32
Karo - 32
Charon - 38
Genny - 39

KBM - Full-stop, this is the best vampire movie I've ever seen. Though I COMPLETELY understand this not being for everybody, for me this brings the Dracula legend to life like no other adaptation manages. Francis Ford Coppola brings a surreal, nightmarish quality to the visuals and the flow of the story, and Gary Oldman manages to redefine and bring new life to a role that had already been played iconically twice by Bela Lugosi and Christopher Lee. Anthony Hopkins also brings some great manic energy to the second half of the film as one of the most unhinged Van Helsings ever, and I'm gonna be honest, I didn't think Keanu Reeves and Winona Ryder were as bad as their performances' reputations suggest.

Scarlet - God, this is one of the hardest movies to rank and rate on this list. Much like Gary Oldmans haircut. In fact, maybe everything else I think about this movie - from the great camerawork to the interesting sets to the bizarre script to the performances that range from good to bad and everything in between - is best summed up in that haircut. Maybe the movie is actually just about the haircut. Maybe this entire list is predicated on the notion that this haircut will be the defining point of contention that determines the legacy of Snake as a curator of lists. Maybe Snake was the hair stylist here. Maybe every vampire movie before or since this one is fundamentally built around the planned moment when Gary Oldman would sport this haircut. In all honesty, I think my ranking here is soft. I respect so much of this film, and I would honestly watch it again for sheer entertainment value, but certain vital aspects of the film are unmitigated disasters - notably Keanu Reeves performance. But, then theres this hair. And I just dont know what to do with it.
Rating: 48/100

Johnbobb - goddamn this movie is long. I mean, it's not even that long (just a little over 2 hours) but it draaaaaaaaaaags. The visuals and sound and costumes are all excellent but man does it get boring in between the big moments, especially whenever Keanu Reeves is on screen. The performances are inconsistent, ranging from excellent to fucking HORRIBLE. That, on top of a plot that's just a little too meandering, keeps it from being the gothic epic it so badly wants to be.

Snake - Why I Chose It - Often cited as one of the best vampire films ever made, 1992's Dracula was a box office smash and established the tone for a whole new generation of vampire films & tropes still in common use today.

My Thoughts - A tiring exercise of Hollywood excess, Dracula aspires to be the defining representation of vampires on film, but in its quest to do so, it wrings itself to such extremes that you just feel exhausted once it's all said and done. I won't lie that this is a totally eye-catching picture, with a Gothic aesthetic to die for and character designs stick with you long after it's over. And yes, Gary Oldman is as good as they say. But, a film like this needs to be perfect in all areas, and I don't think it has a very solid script and performances like Reeves are just as bad as they say, while the film overstays its welcome with a plodding pace and overdramatic feel, holding it back from being the quintessential vampire flick it wants to be. A strange, curious mess of a film to be sure.
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