DRACULA 2000
Reviewed by: Charles Phipps Very Offensive
Moviemaking Quality:
![]() ![]() ½Primary Audience:
Adults
Genre:
Thriller, Horror
Length:
1 hr. 45 min.
Year of Release:
2000
USA Release:
_____
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Relevant Issues
Vampire movies
Blade (1998) The Little Vampire (2000) Dracula 2000 (2000) The Forsaken (2001) Queen of the Damned (2002) Blade II (2002) The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003) Underworld (2003) Blade: Trinity (2004) Van Helsing (2004) Ultraviolet (2006) Underworld: Evolution (2006) BloodRayne (2006) 30 Days of Night (2007)
“Dracula 2000” is a horror movie and the genre has not for a very long time been the home of movies in which families and discriminating Christians can go to see for entertainment without being bombarded with violence, sexuality, and bad language. Wes Craven is a notorious offender on this account as his Nightmare on Elm Street films and Scream trilogy helped set the standard for this problem in film making today. Dracula 2000 is his latest effort to bring further “quality” to the screen and unfortunately the violence, sexuality, and bad language are still all present…and oddly a number of redeeming values.
Not to spoil but Wes Craven’s Dracula is not the secular or simply “bad magical” creature that has been portrayed in cinema for many years but a distinctly Christian foe. While some Biblical purists and Dracula fans will find the “First Vampire” offensive for his history, it is actually done extremely well and tastefully with a strong message about the lures the Devil uses and the power of forgiveness. The “heroes” of the story are also refreshingly chaste, good intentioned, faithful, and lacking in desire to do violence or pollute the air with foul language themselves. Because of the gore (numerous grizzly murders), frequent use by the villains of unpleasant oaths (the f-word is ever present in horror it seems), strong sexuality and brief nudity among the wicked (including a sex scene with a young woman seduced by Dracula), and deliberate blasphemy by Dracula (destroying symbols of God to mocking him and his word every time he’s mentioned by the heroes) this is definitely not a movie for the faint of heart, easily offended, or younger viewers. However adults who are fans of horror and can appreciate the fact that evil must be opposed despite how horrid it will act and appear will find it an excellent work of fiction… ![]() Wes Craven has something here. This movie was apparently created as a thriller/horror film, and it works. To me, it is better than the 'Scream' movies because this film isn’t trying to be a horror movie with slapstick-like humor. The comparison between Dracula and Judas Iscariot gives this film an interesting twist, even if some areas aren’t Biblically correct. If you don’t mind the violence, sex, and swearing and want to be surprised, scared, or just entertained, this is a good movie. There’s a lot of cussing and usual gore in this film. One sexual encounter is very graphic and involves nudity. There’s also a lot of cleavage shown here. Too bad cuz it looked like a good film. |