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Where do I begin? When I first started watching NBC's Dracula I thought it might be fun. Considering the little tidbits that had already leaked out I figured it would not be great but maybe it would be fun, sort of a guilty pleasure. And those first two episodes provided that even though there were things wrong with it.
The thing I hated most was how Jonathan Rhys Meyers was actually proud that they had removed references to stakes and garlic and all of Dracula's traditional shapeshifting powers and the power to summon storms and wind. Why is the idea that Dracula could turn into a bat, wolf, and mist suddenly shameful? Less than twenty years ago these were powers we associated with Dracula without question. Now you only find them in cartoons and parodies. Why? why are all vampires portrayed now as nothing more than super strong pretty boys, with heightened senses and the ability to run fast. And even his senses don't seem that heightened in this incarnation. I have seen many versions of Dracula and this, quite simply, was the weakest, physically speaking.
Jonathan Rhys Meyers went as far as to mock Romanian accents in his interviews and brag how his Dracula was more of a Howard Hughes or Citizen Kane type. Have I mentioned this Dracula puts on a bad fake American accent for his persona of Alexander Greyson? I thought I could stick with it. I thought it wasn't so bad but then came episode three. Episode three pushed me into hatred for this show.
Now in this version Dracula isn't proud of his connection to the knightly Order of the Dragon. Now they are an Illuminati type group and apparently they turned Dracula into a vampire as a form of punishment. Because... you know... fanatical illuminati groups often do that... But this isn't so bad. I have seen worse origins for Drcaula before such as Dracula 2000.
Dracula has been sleeping with the vampire hunter Lady Jayne (who somehow has no idea that he is Dracula, by the way). And while she is dozing after they have been intimate he hears a voice calling "Sire... Sire... help me... sire..." So Dracula takes up a torch (because apparently he can't see in the dark now...) and follows the voice. Before we go any further just know that you cannot convince me that torch was for our sake, the viewer. I have seen too many well done and well lit vampire films where rooms that are supposed to be black to human eyes are quite easy to see. And they never had to sacrifice a vampire's night vision before just for the viewer. Even the 1960s Dark Shadows never considered doing such a thing. Dracula finds the imprisoned vampire and she begs "Kill... me..." She has clearly been tortured. Dracula kisses her hand and with clear normal tears (Because people have forgotten portrayals of Dracula and blood tears LONG before True Blood) running down his face, he stands there, cracks his fingers for some reason (seeing some vampire claws would have been cool right now but they took those away from him too...) and he crawls right back into be with Lady Jayne.
Traditionally if you make Dracula cry that usually means something terrible is about to happen, that he is about to rip someone apart. This is true in novels, TV, and film but alas, not here. This is the ultimate moment in which he did NOT feel like Dracula.
Now previously on the show Mina and Jonathan had a fight because he wanted her to be a proper wife and give up her dreams of being a doctor. Guess what Mina does in this episode? She apologizes to him! Why!? Bella Swan was more feminist than this! Back in 1979 in Frank Langella's version of Dracula, Lucy (actually the Mina character as in that film the names were reversed) was a suffragette. She gave lectures on how women were not chattel and even scolded that version of Dracula for hypnotizing someone. She charmed Dracula in that version, asking him to dance with her right in front of her fiancé. Dracula admired her boldness, that is what he fell in love with in that version. Why is it a version that is nearly thirty five years old is more feminist than this?! Oh, Dracula talks Jonathan into getting back together with Mina. Why!? He's competition! And then he brags to Renfield about doing a good deed.
So, no traditional powers, no traditional Dracula temper, and he puts other mens happiness before himself. This is the man who supposedly fought The Ottoman empire? We never see him feed really. Every time he lunges in for a kill we never actually see it happen.
I have seen many versions of Dracula. If you want a good contemporary version of Dracula read Fred Saberhagen's Dracula books. Even Buffy vs. Dracula was more respectful to the source material in regard to Dracula's look, behavior, and powers.
I am tired of the cookie cutter pretty boy vampires all being alike in personality and powers. I miss Dracula as Dracula! This isn't refreshing or new. It's pandering to the new, six or so year old cliché. At this point seeing a traditional Dracula, THAT would be new and refreshing.
As I said, I have seen many versions of Dracula. And this is in the bottom five... of the worst Dracula incarnations out there. That's down there Dracula 3000 and Dracula: the Dark Prince (not the good one with Rudolf Martin, the 2013 version).
This is no Dracula. And Jonanthan Rhys Meyers should be ashamed, not bragging, about the traditional Dracula abilities he so proudly demanded be stripped from the character.
score 1/10
CountVladDracula 11 November 2013
Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw2902936/ |
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22-11-2019 09:30:51
