Country:
USA
Starring:
Gerard Butler
Christopher Plummer
Justine Waddell
Omar Epps
Sean Patrick Thomas
Danny Masterson
Lochlyn Munro
Directed By:
Patrick Lussier
Synopsis:
A bunch of uneducated idiots figure it would be a great idea to rob a guy named Matthew Van Helsing. Even better, they find a locked coffin in his safe and think they have hit the jackpot. If a dude named Van Helsing holds on to a coffin in a supermodern safe, it's just scare tactics, right? He must be holding on to a fortune. Of course, there was no money in the coffin, only a Dracula who looks like he's playing guitar for Whitesnake reunion tour. Then all hell breaks loose.
Time's a motherfucker. DRACULA 2000 has a score of 4.8/10 on IMDB and an average critics rating of 14% on Rotten Tomatoes. Twelve years ago, this would've been about right. The myth of Dracula hadn't been soiled yet by a trilogy of books about a sparkly, abusive boyfriend and a trilogy of films about Kate Beckinsdale in a PVC catsuit, running in every direction at night. No, back then people had respect for vampires. So when DRACULA 2000 came out, it was considered a goofy mess. Fast forward to 2012 and it's still somewhat of a goofy mess, but it's an endearing mess that depicts vampires with much more accuracy than anything else we've been fed over the last few years.
If you're ready to give DRACULA 2000 a chance, you have to make peace with a few details. First, it takes liberties with the story. That includes a "what-the-fuck-really?" ending. But it's cool liberties that make for an entertaining story. Forget what you know about the historical origins of Dracula , because nothing of that is respected. Van Helsing (Plummer) became a ghoul, shooting himself with the Count's blood, hoping to find a way to kill him. That creates a problem that is at the heart of the movie, cause Van Helsing has a daughter, Mary (Justine Waddell) who technically has Dracula's blood running through his veins. Prey to his darkest impulses, Dracula (Butler) looks for Mary in the streets of New Orleans for she is a soul born with his blood and not bitten, so they can be together forever. Joyous, isn't it?
Gerard Butler, despite looking ready to blast out the chorus of "Here I Go Again", with David Coverdale, offers a genuinely good rendition of what is a true fucking vampire. A being that surrendered its humanity, who's completely surrendered to his need for blood. A predator. He's not a gentle, misunderstood soul with power he cannot quite fathom. No, he's fucking dangerous. Do you know how long it's been since I've seen a vampire that dangerous in a movie? Long enough. Kudos to director Patrick Lussier for giving employment to Lochlyn Munro, who played Cliff on DEAD MAN ON CAMPUS, but who I remember the most as Jason, the service jock in teenie bopper television series NORTHWOOD, who got paralyzed for sipping two cans of Budweiser at a crappy diner and taking the wheel right after. The man is a cult actor and Lussier does him justice with a gnarly death scene. I never have enough Lochlyn Munro.
DRACULA 2000 is colorful, not unlike STRANGE DAYS and other pre-apocalyptic movies of that era. It's cluttered with decisions that don't make any sense, like hiring an all-star cast just to get them slaughtered about twenty-minutes in, but it doesn't deter from the quality of the movie. The direction is really standard, borderline MTV Video-like, but the script is strong enough and the performances are spirited. Most important, it takes itself with the utmost serious. The actors believe int he movie as much as Patrick Lussier does. There is zero irony factor. That's the making of a cult hit right there. Top that with a great soundtrack that includes Slayer's bombastic BLOODLINE.
If you want a good vampire movie, but like me you've forsaken the idea that bloodsucker could scare you a long time ago, this is a movie you might like. If Harlan Ellison and Emerson LaSalle collaborated on a vampire movie, they would have come up with something like DRACULA 2000. Technically, it's more than competent, the art direction was high on bath salts and the story deforms the myth just enough to remain entertaining. Director Patrick Lussier has a history of making wacky horror movies. DRACULA 2000 might be his best work, slightly edging MY BLOODY VALENTINE. Not exactly material to make Orson Welles roll over in his grave, not even something you want to this about too often. But it's a fun movie, reminiscent of an era where the drugs were better in Hollywood.
SCORE: 75%