Vampires are the most malleable supernatural creatures in fiction. As a result, pop culture is never without a new vampire story for long. And Dracula, as the granddaddy of all vampires, has proved irresistible to many creatives tackling the subgenre. A search for Dracula on IMDb yields almost 350 movies and TV shows in which the name comes up. Dracula always comes back.
The latest example is Dracula, from Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat, the minds behind BBCs acclaimed Sherlock. While while that modern take on the literary detective was far from perfect, fans were curious to see what the pair would do with the worlds most famous vampire.
RELATED: Dracula Is a Seductive Monster in BBC Series' Bloody-Good New Trailer
It turns out theyve done quite a bit, but all their tinkering with the source material doesnt nearly add up to the sum of its parts. Im no Dracula purist. I love to see him and the novel's other characters pop up in unexpected places, doing unexpected things. Yet, however clever the changes made in this latest iteration of the vampire legend, Gatiss and Moffett ultimately fail to deliver on what they set up. Plus, their attempts at LGBTQ representation, and the inclusion of more empowered, and better developed, female characters mostly fall flat.
The main conceit of this Dracula -- as well as the main reason to watch it -- is that it places the vampire at center stage. In Bram Stokers novel, and in most of the adaptations that followed, the story is told from the perspective of other characters, but never Draculas. Mostly, he stays in the shadows and says little.
That's more than corrected for here. Gatiss and Moffats Dracula, played by Claes Bang, is the most talkative character in the piece. In fact, this Dracula is downright outgoing. He loves talking people up, and hearing himself speak. The unfortunate side effect of that gregariousness is that his companions mostly end up drained of their blood in the end.
Dracula may succeed in winning you over if you find him as charming, seductive and suave as Gatiss and Moffatt seem to. Bang is fantastic in the role and seems to be having a blast. However, as the series goes on the characters shtick becomes increasingly predictable -- and tedious, like the guy who believes hes the life of the party, never realizing that everyones trying to remove themselves from his orbit.
Despite his longevity, Dracula isnt the least bit introspective. He constantly hints at the mysteries he embodies but ultimately demonstrates very little insight into his own psyche. That leads to a flat character who takes up a lot of space but never experiences any growth.
RELATED: Walking Dead Creator Producing Monster Movie Starring Dracula's Henchman
On the other side of the equation is Sister Agatha, who is introduced in the first episode as the individual Jonathan Harker shares his tale of horror with after escaping from Castle Dracula. The nun is immediately set up as a strong protagonist, blunt, caring and highly intelligent. Dolly Wells lights up the screen and proves shes more than a match for Dracula. And while Dracula is devoid of personal insight, Sister Agatha is preoccupied with understanding the vampire.
Yet again, this becomes tedious by the series' third and final episode. Agatha spends her time voicing questions about Dracula, making the audience believe that answers will be forthcoming. However, when the big reveal finally happens, its meager and unimpressive.
In addition, the show relies heavily on twists to make an impact. Yet, this seems to be an attempt to distract from the fact that Gatiss and Moffat dont have any satisfying conclusions to offer. They might have served the material better if they'd sacrificed a twist or two, or let go of some of their heady ideas, and instead crafted a series with stronger characterizations and a more solidly built plot.
This Dracula uses the outline of approximately the first third of Stoker's novel for its story, but there are times where it seems to be taking more of its cues from Hammers Dracula films from the 1960s and 70s. That's especially true in the first episode. Hammer's influence may also be why some of the special effects look the way they do. By todays standards the effects are unsophisticated but they successfully imitate those of the Hammer films. Its a head-scratching choice in a series full of them, although its far from the most troubling.
That honor goes to the show's treatment of women, and its tendency to queerbait. The usual suspects, including Mina, Lucy, Renfield and Van Helsing, show up throughout the series. However, the production doesnt seem capable of featuring more than one strong woman on screen at a time. Lucy and Minaare treated horribly by the narrative, and are ultimately reduced to blubbering ciphers.
Also, as they did in Sherlock, Gatiss and Moffat continue their queerbaiting tendencies, starting from the first five minutes into the series. And while the collaborators initially seem to be making an attempt to critique the privilege of white men, they ultimately give Dracula new abilities that Stoker never dreamed of, causing him to become so overpowered, none of the other characters are a match for him.
The series consists of only three episodes, each about an hour and a half in length, making them feel more like individual movies. This worked fairly well when Gatiss and Moffat used this approach for Sherlock, as it allowed each episode to focus on a specific case. Its not as successful here because Dracula is telling a single, continuous story. Although the first two episodes are more successful than the third, theres simply not enough here to sustain intrigue for 90 minutes at a time.
If youre looking for a revisionist Dracula story, seek out NBCs dearly departed one-season wonder from 2013, starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers. It takes the characters from Stokers novel and goes in several bizarre directions with them. That leads to some pretty bonkers places, but its ultimately a far more entertaining experience to sink your teeth into. The BBC/Netflix Dracula, on the other hand, may leave you feeling drained and listless.
Executive produced by Mark Gatiss, Steven Moffat, Sue Vertue and Ben Irving, Dracula stars John Heffernan, Dolly Wells, Joanna Scanlan, Sacha Dhawan, Jonathan Aris, Morfydd Clark, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett and Claes Bang as Count Dracula. The miniseries is currently available on Netflix.
NEXT: Why BBC and Netflix's Dracula Was So Disappointing
Rise of Skywalker Isn't the End of the Skywalker Saga - The Clone Wars Is
Tags:dracula,feature
Here is the original post:
REVIEW: BBCs Dracula Is a Muddled, Tiresome Take on the Iconic Vampire - CBR - Comic Book Resources
- Civil War is beating vampires, spies, and big gorillas in its second week at the box office - The A.V. Club - April 22nd, 2024
- Meet Alisha Weir, The 14-Year-Old Breakout Star Of Universals Vampire Flick Abigail - Deadline - April 22nd, 2024
- Transylvania Is Famous For Vampires, But Also Has Lots Of Grizzlies And Wolves - Cowboy State Daily - April 22nd, 2024
- Interview with the Vampire Cast Explains Why Your Friends Should Watch - Bleeding Cool News - April 22nd, 2024
- Marvel 'Blade' Reboot With Mahershala Ali Going Back To Basics Of "Killing Vampires - Bounding Into Comics - April 22nd, 2024
- Interview With The Vampire Got A Sequel 22 Years Ago, But Not Like You Think - Screen Rant - April 22nd, 2024
- First Trailer for Reginald the Vampire Season 2 Teases a Vampires vs. Angels Showdown - Syfy - April 22nd, 2024
- Kathryn Newton Talks Sinking Her Teeth Into Vampire Thriller 'Abigail' - Forbes - April 21st, 2024
- 'Vampire' bacteria thirst for human blood and cause deadly infections as they feed - Livescience.com - April 21st, 2024
- Some Microbes Are Tiny 'Vampires' With a Deadly Attraction to Human Blood - ScienceAlert - April 21st, 2024
- Common gut bacteria behave like vampires to target human blood - Earth.com - April 21st, 2024
- Now Playing in Memphis: Vampires, Sasquatches, and Monkey Man - Memphis Flyer - April 21st, 2024
- Dancing Vampires, Furry Families and More in Movies - Columbus Underground - April 21st, 2024
- New 'Interview with the Vampire' teaser reveals the laws of being a vampire - Mashable - April 21st, 2024
- The Vampire Rules In Abigail (And How They Change The Horror Game) Explained - SlashFilm - April 21st, 2024
- Blade's MCU Problems Ignore How Easy It Should Be To Make His Perfect Movie - Screen Rant - April 21st, 2024
- Being Human Werewolves, Vampires, and Ghosts! Four Seasons Streaming Right Now on SCREAMBOX! - Bloody Disgusting - April 21st, 2024
- Upcoming horror movies: Where and when to watch werewolves, vampires, and assorted monsters, oh my! - Popverse - April 21st, 2024
- One of the Very First Horror Westerns Started Out as a Joke - Collider - April 21st, 2024
- "Blade killing vampires..": Marvel is Giving Fans What They Exactly Want With Mahershala Ali's MCU Movie, Industry ... - FandomWire - April 21st, 2024
- Reports Reveal the Original Concept of the Blade Movie Before it was Simplified to Blade Just Killing Vampires - imdb - April 21st, 2024
- Who Lives? Who Dies? And Was That [Spoiler]? The Ending of Abigail, Explained - Syfy - April 21st, 2024
- THESE vampires drawn to human blood could be inside your body Know how they can kill you - The Financial Express - April 21st, 2024
- Concern over Vampire Bacteria and more - WGN TV Chicago - April 21st, 2024
- The Vampire Diaries' Stefan Without One Key Factor - CBR - Comic Book Resources - April 21st, 2024
- Abigail Takes a Bloody Delightful Bite Out of the Vampire Genre - Gizmodo - April 21st, 2024
- Interview with the Vampire: Reid, Anderson Walk Us Through Season 1 - Bleeding Cool News - April 21st, 2024
- Woman's blood-drained corpse is found in Italian church where she had been searching for ghosts: Victim, 22, - Daily Mail - April 12th, 2024
- My latest Game Pass obsession is a vampire-punching action game that could be Red Dead Redemption 2's wacky ... - Gamesradar - April 12th, 2024
- Lindy Ryan on Setting a Vampire Novel in a Small Texas Town - CrimeReads - April 12th, 2024
- 14 Actors Who Appeared In Both Supernatural & The Vampire Diaries - Screen Rant - April 12th, 2024
- Coachella 2024: How to Stream Every Performance on YouTube - Vulture - April 12th, 2024
- Back to the 80s: 'Lost boys' The State Hornet - StateHornet.com - April 12th, 2024
- Slay the Spire 2, Vampire Survivors meets Contra, and other Triple-i games - Ars Technica - April 12th, 2024
- How Vampire Weekend Mastered The Five-Albums Test - UPROXX - April 12th, 2024
- Abigail Directors Tease A Fresh Spin On Vampires That's "Very Much Us" - Screen Rant - April 12th, 2024
- Vampire Weekend Livestreamed Their Solar Eclipse Album Release Show: Watch - Stereogum - April 12th, 2024
- Fan favorite vampire films among those coming to a theater near you - WAPT Jackson - April 12th, 2024
- Vampire Weekend Reckon With the Divine (Again) on Only God Was Above Us - Spin - April 12th, 2024
- Review | Vampire Weekend have grown into their boat shoes - The Washington Post - April 12th, 2024
- Interview with the Vampire season 2: Release date, cast, and more - Android Authority - April 12th, 2024
- Upcoming horror movie Nosferatu debuted a trailer behind closed doors, and apparently Bill Skarsgrd's vampire is ... - Gamesradar - April 12th, 2024
- Vampire Weekend's 'Only God Was Above Us': All 10 Tracks Ranked - Billboard - April 12th, 2024
- Abigail Has Screened, And Critics Are Calling The Bloody Vampire Horror One Of The Best Movies Of 2024 - CinemaBlend - April 12th, 2024
- When Kirsten Dunst revealed the special gift Interview With a Vampire co-star Tom Cruise sends her every year - Hindustan Times - April 12th, 2024
- He is cooking with this cast: Ryan Coogler's Vampire Movie With Michael B. Jordan Casts Another Marvel Star Hailee ... - FandomWire - April 12th, 2024
- Ryan Cooglers Untitled Vampire Thriller Adds 2 More to Cast - ComingSoon.net - April 12th, 2024
- The Vampire Diaries Improved After This Character Left the Show - CBR - Comic Book Resources - April 2nd, 2024
- Paul Wesley Shares Only Way He'd Appear in Another Vampire Diaries Show - E! Online - E! NEWS - April 2nd, 2024
- Interview With the Vampire Releases New Season 2 Trailer Ahead of May Premiere Watch - Yahoo Finance UK - April 2nd, 2024
- Interview with the Vampire season 2 drops second trailer at AMC - Sportskeeda - April 2nd, 2024
- A Major 'Twilight' Star Is Down To Return For The TV Show, So Bring On The Sparkly Vampires - Yahoo! Voices - April 2nd, 2024
- 'Vampire' neutron star blasts are related to jets traveling at near-light speeds - Space.com - April 2nd, 2024
- Louis Is Haunted by the Past in New 'Interview with the Vampire' Season 2 Trailer - Collider - April 2nd, 2024
- A Vampire's Face Has Reemerged From a Centuries-Old Shroud - AOL - April 2nd, 2024
- Video: AMC Networks Releases a Second New Trailer and Key Art for Season Two of "Anne Rice's Interview with the ... - The Futon Critic - April 2nd, 2024
- Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person Presents a Rather Different Kind of Teen Angst - Reactor - April 2nd, 2024
- Shiki And 7 Other Vampire-Themed Anime Series For A Blood Curdling Binge-Watch - AugustMan Thailand - April 2nd, 2024
- Interview with the Vampire Season 2 Trailer: Memories of Claudia - Bleeding Cool News - April 2nd, 2024
- Harvey Guilln Says Goodbye to the Mansion in 'What We Do in the Shadows' Season 6 Set Image - Collider - April 2nd, 2024
- Interview with the Vampire Season 2 Trailer Set for Sunday Night - Bleeding Cool News - April 2nd, 2024
- Vampire Weekend share new single 'Mary Boone' and announce UK and European tour - NME - April 2nd, 2024
- The Vampire Diaries Cast: Where are they now? From Ian Somerhalder to Nina Dobrev - 9Entertainment - April 2nd, 2024
- Zendaya Starring in Remake of 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer'? - Snopes.com - April 2nd, 2024
- The Best Vampire Movie Never Says The Word 'Vampire', Stream This Dark R-Rated Horror Hidden Gem - Giant Freakin Robot - April 2nd, 2024
- V Rising gets the crossover every self-respecting vampire wants: Castlevania's Simon Belmont is coming to try and kill ... - PC Gamer - April 2nd, 2024
- Canadian imperialism and the Gaza genocide: The contrived, right-wing furor over a cartoon depicting Netanyahu as a ... - WSWS - April 2nd, 2024
- Is This a Real Photo of Vampire Queen 'Madam Violet,' Voted UK's Scariest Woman Alive in the 1880s? - Snopes.com - March 16th, 2024
- The erotic 70s horror where lechy men turn into bloody-hungry vampires - Dazed - March 16th, 2024
- The vampires ball is coming to an end - Meduza - March 16th, 2024
- Oregon son, 56, who is accused of killing his mom by shoving a huge makeshift stake through her throat claims - Daily Mail - March 16th, 2024
- Muni Bond Games and the IRS' Lurking Arbitrage Vampires - Governing - March 16th, 2024
- Ball of vampires', nuke warning: Key takeaways from Putins interview - The Times of India - March 16th, 2024
- Putin compares western elites to 'VAMPIRES' who 'fill their bellies with human flesh' - GB News - March 16th, 2024
- Every Time Alaric Died In The Vampire Diaries & Legacies - Screen Rant - March 16th, 2024
- V Rising declares a 1.0 release date, climbing from the grave of a years-long early access to become your next time ... - Yahoo Movies UK - March 16th, 2024
- 15 Actors That Could Play Edward Cullen in the Twilight TV Series - MovieWeb - March 16th, 2024
- BLOOD HUNT #1 Preview Releases A Horde Of Vampires On The Marvel Universe's Greatest Heroes - CBM (Comic Book Movie) - March 16th, 2024
- Man accused of killing mother in Siletz believed she was a vampire - Yahoo News - March 16th, 2024
- Stephen King approved 'Salem's Lot' movie to stream on Max this year - Yahoo Movies Canada - March 16th, 2024
Reviewed and Recommended by Erik Baquero