Drac's
back in a glorious B movie special which delivers exactly
what you'd expect and is none the worse for doing just
that.
Nigel
Bell
I
can tell you this for nothing. Dracula 2001 will
be slated by most critics but not me. Let's face it. I'm
a sucker for a good Vampire movie because you know exactly
what you're going to get.
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| Would
you want a blood transfusion from these three ladies? |
The
special effects might be better, the money spent significantly
greater, but this is a Hammer Horror by any other name.
If
you like those old Christopher Lee films the chances are
you'll be more than satisfied with this "Wes Craven
presents" feature.
You
get dry ice, stupid characters who insist on investigating
strange noises themselves instead of telling their mates
first,
buxom women and lots of fangs in necks.
It
all starts centuries ago when Dracula (Butler) first arrived
in Britain but the past is quickly dismissed for modern
day London.
 |
| I
thought you said you'd brushed your teeth |
Dr
Van Helsing (Plummer) has kept the count under lock and
key in a sturdy vault. It's not sturdy enough, and Dracula's
coffin finds itself on an aeroplane bound for New Orleans.
Thanks
to some spilled blood, the toothy one is restored and
begins recruiting new vampires in the way only he can.
Van
Helsing and his assistant (Lee Miller) head off in pursuit.
Dracula,
it transpires, is out to convert Mary, Van Helsing's daughter,
the ultimate prize.
 |
| Fangs
for all those Star Trek memories. Seven of Nine gets
stuck in |
There's
little you haven't seen before. Even modern touches are
cribbed from recent movies. That Matrix slo-mo
style of fighting is heavily featured. At the end of the
film Dracula embarks on a Bladerunner finale speech.
There
is a nice touch where TV newscaster Jeri "Seven of
Nine" Ryan is doing a location report. Through the
camera lens her neck suddenly starts to bleed. Only when
the cameraman looks at her through his naked eyes does
he see the Count plying his trade.
There's
also a fresh twist to the origins of Dracula.
The
performances are far from Oscar potential but, with the
exception of Jonny Lee Miller, are acceptable. He really
is as wooden as the stakes which so often get him out
of a tight corner.
Don't
expect anything radical but if you know what you like
from a Dracula movie you won't be disappointed.
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