The problem is that I've seen too many vampire movies in my time. Vampire 1979 being one of the most impressive performances by the late Richard Lynch, may he rest in peace. I have seen countless actors portray Dracula, from Bela Lugosi to Nicholas Cage. Some were excellent, some were not. Some movies were very good and some just passable watching. Some were science fiction hybrids like Lifeforce(1985), The Ghosts Of Mars(2001) and Dracula 3000(2004). Some were vampire comedies like My Best Friend Is A Vampire(1987), Vampire's Kiss(1988) and Dracula Dead And Loving It(1995 take my word for the most hilarious spoof on vampires). Some were action oriented like the Blade Trilogy(1998-2002-2004), Van Helsing(2004) and Ultraviolet(2006). Some were gothic style atmospheric horror movies like the Hammer Dracula films and Dracula 1977(TV), Nosferatu The Vampyre 1979 and Dracula 1979. Not to forget to mention the Dan Curtis Vampire movies and Dark Shadows TV Series.
So from start to finish it's been quite a ride watching these undead bloodsuckers do their stuff on screen. Back to this film. It is about a chapter of the Bram Stoker novel Dracula about the ship Demeter that is transporting the Count. To put it short, one chapter from the novel has been adapted into an entire film of just about two hours(1hour:58minutes:39seconds total running time including end credits). The vampire scenes are very good. If you're into creature features then you'll like this one. The director tried to do his best, offer us something new but for me ultimately he fails to do so. Vampire(1979) is available free to see online and much better entertainment than this. First of all the casting and acting quality in the film is substandard. The background music is also inadequate and at times it is lacking. This script should have been modified and made more intriguing. Because of the disastrous casting the film suffers. I found myself drawn to none of these actors. Because these days all people are interested in is their paycheck. They have no love for their profession. Before we had great actors like Laurance Olivier, Richard Burton, Peter Ustinov, Alec Guinness, John Gielgud, Michael Hordern. These were actors that had great knowledge of theatrical acting which is fast becoming a lost art. These were theater legends. You cannot jump into acting - you need to hone your profession in drama school for like 10-15 years perfecting your art. This means also ultimately the Hollywood casting profession has become a joke.
Back to the movie: it is a tragedy. The Demeter is a doomed ship. The title of the movie says it all. The atmosphere as always is dull and gloomy throughout and tries to maintain a gothic style as with the Bram Stoker novel. This proves to be its undoing. Here is the flaw: the script is tailored for actors with real theatrical talent. These current crop of actors cast in this film are clueless. Either a rush job has been done on this film or the director and cast have no real communication between them. And the most obvious fact is the usage of CGI to make the viewer be enthralled by all the horror and gore.
So I don't know how to recommend to you to see this film. If you've seen all the films I've mentioned above then give this film a hard pass. But if you have time to spare then watch it but you won't find anything new here.
So from start to finish it's been quite a ride watching these undead bloodsuckers do their stuff on screen. Back to this film. It is about a chapter of the Bram Stoker novel Dracula about the ship Demeter that is transporting the Count. To put it short, one chapter from the novel has been adapted into an entire film of just about two hours(1hour:58minutes:39seconds total running time including end credits). The vampire scenes are very good. If you're into creature features then you'll like this one. The director tried to do his best, offer us something new but for me ultimately he fails to do so. Vampire(1979) is available free to see online and much better entertainment than this. First of all the casting and acting quality in the film is substandard. The background music is also inadequate and at times it is lacking. This script should have been modified and made more intriguing. Because of the disastrous casting the film suffers. I found myself drawn to none of these actors. Because these days all people are interested in is their paycheck. They have no love for their profession. Before we had great actors like Laurance Olivier, Richard Burton, Peter Ustinov, Alec Guinness, John Gielgud, Michael Hordern. These were actors that had great knowledge of theatrical acting which is fast becoming a lost art. These were theater legends. You cannot jump into acting - you need to hone your profession in drama school for like 10-15 years perfecting your art. This means also ultimately the Hollywood casting profession has become a joke.
Back to the movie: it is a tragedy. The Demeter is a doomed ship. The title of the movie says it all. The atmosphere as always is dull and gloomy throughout and tries to maintain a gothic style as with the Bram Stoker novel. This proves to be its undoing. Here is the flaw: the script is tailored for actors with real theatrical talent. These current crop of actors cast in this film are clueless. Either a rush job has been done on this film or the director and cast have no real communication between them. And the most obvious fact is the usage of CGI to make the viewer be enthralled by all the horror and gore.
So I don't know how to recommend to you to see this film. If you've seen all the films I've mentioned above then give this film a hard pass. But if you have time to spare then watch it but you won't find anything new here.