Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)
Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992) 4/10
There are many adaptations of Dracula and this review concerns the 1992 film adaptation by Francis Ford Coppola, which (pardon the pun) lacks bite. Despite having good critical reviews (RT has it at 82%), i was underwhelmed by this sprawling, messy adaptation. There are many missteps in this film: from the terrible choice of inserting a romantic plot between Dracula and Mina (Winona Ryder) to miscasting and plain bad acting. The most egregious of them is Keanu Reeves who basically acts like a block of wood and utter his lines like an automaton. Watching Keanu Reeves act in this film is probably the scariest thing this film has to offer. And casting Sean Connery as Van Helsing is another big mistake- he is totally miscast, looking more like an uncle than a vampire-slayer. What singlehandedly saves this film is Gary Oldman, overacting brilliantly and looking absolutely sinister as Dracula. It is an impressive performance (as long as you ignore the terrible romantic subplot) and Oldman is creepy as hell. The film also gets props in the costume and horror department, serving up some impressive scares, especially the scenes of Dracula in Transylvania. However, this does not save the film from bad acting, terrible romantic subplot and generally incoherent structure.
