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.  | | 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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