Blood, sex, and more blood - what more can you ask for with a movie starring Gary Oldman and Winona Rider? Though thoroughly enjoyable, this movie definitely isn't for the kids, unless you know them well enough. I saw it at thirteen and was pretty shocked at some points, but the fantastic plot, acting, and occasional corny (yet delightful) special effects make this flick what it is: the best vampire movie, ever.

Let me start out by saying that the original novel is one of my all-time favorites, and that I recently decided to see the most popular movie versions. A more appropriate title would have been "Francis Ford Coppola's Dracula". It's not exactly, shall we say... *true* to the original novel in anything more than basic plot. Some (or rather, most) of the casting was badly done. I played Mina in my high school's production and I felt that the preformances given there were MUCH more realistic and emotionally complex. I did enjoy Sir Anthony Hopkins as Professor Van Helsing, though. He is a marvelous actor and the only one of the bunch who doesn't seem to think a little facial expression will kill him. Having said this, the movie in itself is gorgeous (set, costuming, etc.), and it's a wonderfully creepy horror flick.

Francis Ford Coppola ("The Godfather" movies, "Apocalypse Now") takes a bite out of literature with this faithful version of the classic horror novel written in 1897. I have not seen the 1931 film starring Bela Lugosi or any other film version of this story, but I have to say that this one is very faithful to the novel, while changing some bits and improving on others, especially the ending, which in the novel, seemed forced and came off as ridiculous. There's a line in the novel which is really obscure, but the movie did a great job fleshing it out. (When the brides accuse Dracula of not being able to love, he looks intently at Jonathan and says, "Yes. I too can love. You yourselves can tell that from the past." In the novel, this is never explained, while the movie fleshed it out in greater detail). With a mild warning about the violence and brief sexaulity/nudity, I can recommend this movie to mature teenagers. Great cast, awesome performances and a great script make this a true feast for the eyes... and fangs. "Love Never Dies." Rated PG-13.

Blood, sex, and more blood - what more can you ask for with a movie starring Gary Oldman and Winona Rider? Though thoroughly enjoyable, this movie definitely isn't for the kids, unless you know them well enough. I saw it at thirteen and was pretty shocked at some points, but the fantastic plot, acting, and occasional corny (yet delightful) special effects make this flick what it is: the best vampire movie, ever.

Francis Ford Coppola ("The Godfather" movies, "Apocalypse Now") takes a bite out of literature with this faithful version of the classic horror novel written in 1897. I have not seen the 1931 film starring Bela Lugosi or any other film version of this story, but I have to say that this one is very faithful to the novel, while changing some bits and improving on others, especially the ending, which in the novel, seemed forced and came off as ridiculous. There's a line in the novel which is really obscure, but the movie did a great job fleshing it out. (When the brides accuse Dracula of not being able to love, he looks intently at Jonathan and says, "Yes. I too can love. You yourselves can tell that from the past." In the novel, this is never explained, while the movie fleshed it out in greater detail). With a mild warning about the violence and brief sexaulity/nudity, I can recommend this movie to mature teenagers. Great cast, awesome performances and a great script make this a true feast for the eyes... and fangs. "Love Never Dies." Rated PG-13.

Let me start out by saying that the original novel is one of my all-time favorites, and that I recently decided to see the most popular movie versions. A more appropriate title would have been "Francis Ford Coppola's Dracula". It's not exactly, shall we say... *true* to the original novel in anything more than basic plot. Some (or rather, most) of the casting was badly done. I played Mina in my high school's production and I felt that the preformances given there were MUCH more realistic and emotionally complex. I did enjoy Sir Anthony Hopkins as Professor Van Helsing, though. He is a marvelous actor and the only one of the bunch who doesn't seem to think a little facial expression will kill him. Having said this, the movie in itself is gorgeous (set, costuming, etc.), and it's a wonderfully creepy horror flick.