Dracula 2000 (2000)

This version is so bad that you actually feel pity for the actors that accepted the roles. The kind of flick that can ruin a career.

This is my first review . I never add 1 but i just cant understand the 4.9/10 rating. First to say , i saw so many movies of every genre and this 1 is in my favorite 20 .. OK it has almost nothing to do with the Bram stoker version but honestly at the end of the movie i was thinking . I saw almost every Dracula movies ever and the Dracula bram stoker version is with any doubt the best 1 ever with an amazing performance of Garry oldman, on the second place ,,Dracula untold (2014),, and than this movie. That said, if there ever was a real vampire than this movie would get the closed to a logic explanation. So, if you like movies about vampires/Draculawith a deeper meaning than you will certainly like this movie.. Enjoy

Despite its obvious use of Virgin Records as product placement, director Patrick Lussier's "Dracula 2000" ranks as one of the better vampire epics about Bram Stoker's bloodsucking evildoer. Mind you, "Highlander: Endgame" scenarist Joel Soisson and Lussier have done a good job of adapting the novel to a contemporary setting with the characters while retaining most of the flavor of Stoker's vintage novel. This modern-day update of the classic novel provides Dracula with a provocative back story like none you've ever heard of before in the hundred years plus history of the infamous fangster. The complicated task of reviewing "Dracula 2000" is not to divulge important plot points in a story synopsis. Most of the traditional characters return, though some are slighted in the process. Aside from Dracula, Van Helsing is back and so is Dr. Seward, but Seward gets the short shrift. Indeed, he appears in only one scene before the vampires sort him out of the action. As it turns out, Professor Abraham Van Helsing (Christopher Plummer of "The Sound of Music") is a man with a deep, dark secret, and he now operates the Carfax Abbey as a museum. When Dracula immigrated to England, he chose Carfax Abbey as his destination where he would reside. A hundred years later after he vanquished Dracula, Van Helsing has transformed Dracula's creepy, old living quarters into the centerpiece of his museum. He has imprisoned Dracula's body in a silver coffin, concealed him from the public exhibition, and locked him up in a vault, with guards and a sophisticated security system. Assisting Van Helsing is Simon Sheppard (Jonny Lee Miller of "Trainspotting") who acquires antiques, like a heavy wooden crossbow. Simon has no clue about Van Helsing's secret. He believes that Van Helsing is a descendant of the latter's vampire slaying father. We the audience learn before Simon does that everything is not as it appears. Future superstar actor Gerard Butler stars as Dracula. Slim and trim without all those muscles that he bulked himself up with, the handsome Butler looks nothing like Bela Lugosi. One of the in-jokes occurs when he arrives in New Orleans in search of Van Helsing's daughter, and she offers him coffee. Butler alters Lugosi's famous line: "I don't drink . . . coffee." Draped in black with shoulder-length hair, Butler is more seductive than sinister.Meantime, Van Helsing's secretary, known only as Solina (Jennifer Esposito of "Crash"), violates his trust. Primarily, she believes that Van Helsing's state-of-the-art security system must be shielding gold, jewelry, paintings, and other valuables that merit such a security system. She arranges for a gang of thieves to break into the Carfax Museum and loot the place. The apparent leader of the gang, Marcus (Omar Epps of "Higher Learning") is considerably distressed when all that he finds are ancient skulls and a silver casket. Solina is equally incredulous until they find that coffin. Suddenly, two members of their seven member gang die horribly when they trigger booby traps. Eddie (Lochlyn Munro of "Dead Man on Campus") is impaled on spears that plunge from the ceiling as he pushes the coffin away, while Dax (Tig Fong of "Silent Hill") is skewered by a swinging trellis of spears. Naturally, this action sets off an alarm that prompts Van Helsing to load up his single-shot pistol with the longest silver bullets that you've ever. By the time that Van Helsing enters the vault and reaching the place where he had imprisoned Dracula, he finds nobody. Marcus, Solina, Nightshade (Danny Masterson of "Face/Off"), Trick (Sean Patrick Thomas of "Save the Last Dance") and Charlie (Tony Munch of "Cube Zero") blast their way of underground part of Carfax and take the coffin with them as they escape by means of a tunnel. Marcus and company load the coffin onto a plane and fly to New Orleans where the plane crashes because Dracula escapes from captivity. The aircraft falls out of the sky into Bayou Celeste, and local TV news reporter Valerie Sharp (Jeri Ryan of "Down with Love") covers the aerial tragedy that leaves five people dead. Of course, nobody is dead because Dracula (Gerard Butler of "300") has turned them into vampires. He hits the streets of New Orleans in search of Van Helsing's estranged daughter, Mary Heller-Van Helsing (Justine Waddell of "Mansfield Park"), who he hasn't seen in twelve years. Mary has been having hallucinations about a stranger in her life. Little does she know that that stranger is none other than Dracula himself. Not only does Van Helsing arrive in the Crescent City, but his partner, Simon Sheppard (Jonny Lee Miller of "The Beach"), shows up to help him locate Mary. Unfortunately, Van Helsing doesn't survive long after he encounters Dracula. Meantime, three of his vampire women go after Mary, but she eludes death at their hands and confronts Dracula in a high-octane finale.Eventually, we learn Dracula is Judas Iscariot of Biblical fame. The villain of all vampires abhors silver because he sold Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. He attempts to commit suicide, but the rope snapped. Now, he roams the earth because the thieves that broke into the Carfax Museum thought they were going to find wealth that they didn't find. Furthermore, Van Helsing has been using leeches to filter Dracula's blood so that he won't die. He administers regular injections to himself so he will stay alive. Imagine the complications that ensue when his wife discovers what Van Helsing has done and leaves him, taking their daughter with her to escape his insanity? Not surprisingly, when Dracula gets loose, he confront his mortal enemy and searches for his daughter. Director Patrick Lussier ladles out blood and gore galore, and New Orleans looks appropriately Gothic as the setting. Dracula doesn't exactly meet his maker in the end, but his demise is incandescent. Nevertheless, Lussier brought back this monster for two sequels. Butler sat out "Dracula II: Ascension" and "Dracula III: Legacy" where Rutger Hauer took over the role.

Now I do enjoy vampire films and this one has been on my watch list for a while so I finally watch it and I have to say it is mix for me.Dracula 2000 is another retelling about Dracula but in the new era.The films centers on Dracula (Gerard Butler) has been freed from his prison by a team of thieves Marcus (Omar Epps) and Solina (Jennifer Esposito). Later we see Abraham Van Helsing (Christopher Plummer) travel to New Orleans to search for his daughter Mary Heller-Van Helsing (Justine Waddell) who roommate Lucy Westerman (Vitamin C) unaware that Simon Sheppard (Jonny Lee Miller) follow him. Dracula also transforms news reporter Valerie Sharpe (Jeri Ryan) into a vampire.That's enough of the plot you have to see the movie to better understand it. There is just problems that I felt were hold the movie back from what it could have been.First the acting, it is that kind of up and down type of acting Gerard's performance as Dracula is both impressive and fearful at the same time whenever he's on screen he just gives that chill factor. Jeri and Jennifer's performances as two of Dracula's Brides both are beautiful and they show a dark side to their characters. Christopher in a rare form as a hero. It's just decent at best while some of it can be out there.The writing is interesting enough for the film as well as clever one liners. But there are a few flaws in the script.The setting for the film matches the story and with the lighting and darkness mixing into the plot as the story goes on plus the chill factor in this film just makes your skin crawl It just the movie is not for everyone while it does have some appeal to it, the movie is only lacking in that it factor to make it a must haveI give Dracula 2000 an 7 out of 10