Review of Dark Prince: The True Story of Dracula (2000) by Rafael T — 23 Dec 2010

It's a nice effort, and thus it has many downsides still it's a different approach to one of the most common horror myths of all times, first of all I have a vampire fetish and I admit it, any movie with vampires I try to own (even if they are not good), second this it's a real character, movie it's based on the real story of Vlad Dracul III AKA Vlad the Impaler, who was ruler of Walachia (romania) around 1456-1476 (not all of the time), so for me it's a very interesting story, cause he actually did impaled people, regain the crown and fought the turkish out of romania.

It's loosely biographic, some parts are very true tough they seem incredible, - SPOILERS COMING - like his younger brother Radu becoming to muslim and commanding the ottomans in the romanian invasion, yet there are omitted characters (his elder brother, two of his sons and nobleman corvinus), twisted facts like his kidnapping, that was in fact most of an exchange between his fater Vlad II dracul and king of turks. and his dead that it's not at radu´s hands but at a battle (radu has died already), and most of all the very end of the movie in wich he resurrects as a vampire, it's really a shame they went that way I don think it was necessary and it takes much of the seriousness of the movie leading you to think it's all Bullshit when most of it is actually real and documented facts.

The acting it's generally lame, and so are many of other elements like direction, costumes, makeup and score (oh my god so bad). Yet this it's a TV movie, and I wasn't expecting much of it, so it was surprisingly engaging even with his many flaws... nice effort but hope some day they make a more real and better movie about Vlad 'cause I did like the story a lot.