Every Sunday, Gill delves into his archive of over 800 movie reviews and randomly selects three for your enjoyment! Here are this week’s…
Dracula
A terrific classic monster film. Bela Lugosi will always be remembered for his role as Dracula, to the point where it is impossible to think of the character of Dracula without thinking of Lugosi in this movie. I would have liked more from John and Mina Harker, and Van Helsing’s part is far less interesting than I would have liked, but Renfield steals the show. It should also be noted that the ending is surprisingly abrupt, and might leave you (as it did me) wondering if a good fifteen minutes of the film was cut.
Incidentally, if you get your hands on the Dracula Legacy DVD collection, be sure to watch the Spanish version of Dracula that was filmed at the same time as this one (complete with the same sets and costumes). It’s both funny and interesting to see the Spanish actor’s take on Dracula.
3.5 out of 5
Dracula – Dead and Loving It
Unfortunately, the worst Mel Brooks movie ever made. While there is a good joke here and there, the movie is just dumb. You might as well watch Young Frankenstein instead.
2 out of 5
Dracula 2000
Overall, this is a pretty pointless movie, and it is ultimately more fun to watch Dracula 2000 to see early performances from such stars as Gerard Butler and Omar Epps before they were stars. There’s the odd interesting idea, such as Van Helsing keeping himself alive with injections of Dracula’s blood, extracted using leeches, or the idea that (spoiler alert) Dracula is actually Judas. But these concepts are few and far between, and in the end the movie is just another cheesy vampire flick with a lame script and half-assed acting.
1.5 out of 5
See you next Sunday for three more thrilling short reviews!