Dracula 2000 (2000)

continued...

... Dracula played as "dinosaurian" warlord lost in a modern city, with the elderly Van Helsing ironically more in line with the modern world. I suppose I'm asking a lot, but a little role reversal would have been fun.

Butler's Dracula is also an issue. The script refreshingly portrays Dracula in a more Satanic light than we've seen in a good while, but this is completely undercut by Butler's coiffed hairdo and whispery voice. Years after this film, Butler would turn in a decent performance as another Gothic monster in "Phantom of the Opera." But here you see all of the "fried ham" with none of Phantom's bombast. One almost thinks that this Dracula wouldn't look out of place on the set of Baywatch.

Another problem is the movie's attempts to co-opt the post-modernism of the Scream films. Several characters sport names from Stoker's novel, even though the novel itself is stated to exist early on. There's also several "wink, wink" nods to older Dracula films. Some times it works ("I never drink... coffee") but most of the time it falls flat, and people not in the know won't get it at all. The director would have done himself and the audience a favor by leaving that sort of thing in the hands of his more skilled producer/mentor.

As corny as the movie is, it still manages to be entertaining in many ways. For example, Trainspotting's Johnny Lee Miller does his best wise-assed Bruce Campbell impersonation as Van Helsing's young pupil, wielding well-designed weapons against the undead, as well as one-liners. Every time things threaten to get too stodgy, Miller manages to open his mouth and say something stupid. I mean that in the best way possible.

I also liked that unlike many modern vampire films, Dracula 2000 doesn't shy away from religious themes and concepts. While I'm no bible-thumper, I've always felt that Christian lore does much to enhance the depth of the vampire genre, and that it's central to the ongoing appeal of these movies. Here, Dracula is given a bizarre (if heavy-handed) origin story that ties directly into the bible, as well using this mythology to finally explain some of the weaknesses of the vampire. It's that sort of care and thought that I wished had gone into the whole movie.

In the end, I wish I had nicer things to say about this movie. I'm not going to lie and say I'm not entertained by it. But I also fully recommend with a clear conscience. At best I can say it's a silly wreck of a movie that has a few moments of glory. If that's enough for you, then by all means... rent away.

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