Cult Labs - BRAM STOKER'S DRACULA Francis Ford Coppola 1992

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BRAM STOKER'S DRACULA Francis Ford Coppola 1992

Bram Stoker's Dracula.
A film that splits audiences down the middle.
Critics love it.Most gorehounds loathe it.

I watched it on Blu Ray recently and it looks fantastic.
One of the most beautiful horror movies I reckon.

Dracula was greeted with generally positive reviews from critics. Based on 46 reviews collected from notable publications by popular review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an overall approval rating of 80%, with the consensus, "Overblown in the best sense of the word, Francis Ford Coppola's vision of Bram Stoker's Dracula rescues the character from decades of campy interpretations — and features some terrific performances to boot."Vincent Canby described the film as having been created with the "enthusiasm of a precocious film student who has magically acquired a master's command of his craft." Richard Corliss said, "Coppola brings the old spook story alive ... Everyone knows that Dracula has a heart; Coppola knows that it is more than an organ to drive a stake into. To the director, the count is a restless spirit who has been condemned for too many years to interment in cruddy movies. This luscious film restores the creature's nobility and gives him peace."

Roger Ebert awarded the film 3/4 stars, writing: "I enjoyed the movie simply for the way it looked and felt. Production designers Dante Ferretti and Thomas Sanders have outdone themselves. The cinematographer, Michael Ballhaus, gets into the spirit so completely he always seems to light with shadows." Ebert did, however, voice criticisms over the film's "narrative confusions and dead ends." Jonathan Rosenbaum felt the film suffered from a "somewhat dispersed and overcrowded story line" but that it "remains fascinating and often affecting thanks to all its visual and conceptual energy."Empire's Tom Hibbert was unimpressed. Awarding the film 2/5 stars, he wrote, "Has a film ever promised so much yet delivered so little? There was so much potential, yet when it came down to it, Coppola made his Dracula too old to be menacing, gave Keanu Reeves a part and took out all the action."Keanu Reeves' performance was later listed in Total Film's "50 Performances That Ruined Movies".

Any other fans out there?
Stick your toughts here!

I love it.

I voted it best film of 1992 in the Favourite films by year threads.

It has maybe the greatest ever horror soundtrack.

I love it, one of my favourite takes on the classic tale, only thing that spoils it for me is Keanu Reeves' horrendous accent, in fact me and my mates used to take the piss out of the way he said Borgo Pass all the time at school. I haven't upgraded my dvd yet, but it's on the list

I fall into the camp of 'love it' the first meeting between Dracula and Van Helsing is one of my favourite scenes. However Keanu Reeves almost ruins it, not to mention some of the continuity mistakes! I recently upgraded this from DVD to bluray but wasn't that impressed with the PQ. To me it seemed like it was a case of dumping the DVD onto a Blu! (Incidently just received an email from bluraycom one of the offeres in Bram Stoker's Dracula at amazon for £7.50.

Of course you are all wrong, it's shite! I can't deny it's pretty to look at and the majority of the effects are fantastic, especially the one where Dracula turns into loads of rats...but it leaves me cold as far as story and character are concerned.

Yeah, I think Coppola got the tone of this one all wrong - operatic and stylized when it should have been atmospheric. Anthony Hopkins is ridiculous and Keanu Reeves is about as talented as a blocked toilet. Still, it's a far better picture than say Van Helsing or Mary Shelly's Frankenstein, which I realise is like comparing The Beyond to say Zombie Creeping Flesh...

- Make Them Die Slowly - I love the new avatar !

I like Mary Shelley's Frankenstein & Van Helsing too, can't beat Kate Beckinsale in that tight outfit ;) Each to their own I guess.

Rik for what it's worth I loved Kate Beckinsale in The Last Days of Disco - brilliant performance, and she wasn't even in a tight outfit...

Another one for the shite vote here - I normally like visually rich, style heavy films but not in this case, it was a big fancy well-wrapped box with bugger all inside. And of course Keanu Reeves was in it.

For those who have never seen it, the full movie is on YouTube:

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