Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992) Dir: Francis Ford Coppola

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Francis Ford Coppola's epic horror romance is dramatic, theatrical and intensely lustful. Thanks to some beautiful set and costume design, this adaptation is visually magnificent, indulging in the contemporary gothic aesthetic and basking in its Victorian setting. However, I must admit, I was not keen on the alterations to the story. They felt rather unneeded and arbitrary, other than to fuel Coppola's undeniably amorous attitude to the film.

Gary Oldman had moments of undeniable brilliance as the film's namesake character, but, mainly due to Coppola's style, ends up overacting a few moments, particularly in act one. Winona Ryder, poor English accent aside, was actually very good. If she had the accent down, I feel this performance would be far more acclaimed in the modern eye. As it is, she still provides one of the better performances in the film.

Keanu Reeves, unfortunately, was not at his best in this, not helped by his inability to replicate the English accent. Instead, he ultimately left me immensely disappointed by his portrayal of one of the story's key characters. On the other hand, Anthony Hopkins was utterly brilliant. He was witty, believable, and felt far more faithful to Stoker's character than others were. He was, in my view, the clear premier performer of the film.

Sadie Frost suffered from the poor presentation of her character, which was a crude impression of the woman in the book. That said, she did provide some moments of quality, particularly when paired with Ryder. The trio of Billy Campbell, Richard E. Grant and Cary Elwes all provided average performances for disappointing portrayals of characters that had so much more to give in the book.

Finally, I'll give quick mentions to Tom Waits, Monica Bellucci, Florina Kendrick, Michaela Bercu and Jay Robinson, who were the most notable of the remaining cast. Overall, this felt like a throwback to the golden age of Hollywood in many respects. The grand, intricate sets, the beautiful costumes, the larger-than-life performances and the dramatic score all feed into that feeling. But needless changes to an iconic narrative and the seemingly unnecessary explicit scenes spoil it to an extent. It is a film that seems to highlight the best and worst of the legendary Francis Ford Coppola.