Review of Dracula 3D (2012) by Matthew F. J — 27 Mar 2015

When one is watching Dario Argento's latest picture, most of his followers will undeniably wonder what the hell happened to the man who so brilliantly entered the film scene with the timeless classic: The Bird with the Crystal Plumage in 1970 but who seems to have gone awol since the 90's.

Let's try to keep an open mind and focus on what makes this film interesting rather than immediately depreciating it. First of all it's entirely shot in natural set, which gives the film a certain visual quality that I personally really enjoyed.

The camera work is still quite interesting and one can see the old director still holds a few good tricks up his sleeves when it comes to cinematography and the elaboration of his scenes. What surprised me the most here; is the lighting.

Very bright and almost holy in it's intensity, it gives the film a special look that you will either like or hate. A horror film so bright is almost unthinkable so I will salute the initiative to make something different but somehow it's disturbing.

Maybe the visual style is due to the type of camera used by the director which gives the film a cheap TV look. The acting is also quite different from the more realistic approach we are used to in western cinema.

Here it's almost like watching a play with some elements of the Greek tragedies... the body language of the actors is more stiff than usual and they deliver their lines in a very theatrical fashion which will probably not attract many fans.

Some actors shine in the film such as Kretschman (Dracula) who's very comfortable delivering a more baroque performance than Gary Oldman did for example in 1991 for Coppola. Asia Argento, his daughter and muse is doing fine, she's never been an outstanding actress but she's fearless and always willing to experiment, explore and try new things which make her an interesting character/actor.

Rutger Hauer is impeccable as Van Helsing, obviously enjoying to venture into more underground and low budget material than usual. In the end, this is a film that has a lot of interesting ideas and drastic technical choices that will either rebuke you or make you feel like you are actually watching something artistic verging on experimental in some ways (special mention he giant mantis appearing in the film, a complete surrealist and utterly funny scene in the film).

One thing for sure, this picture is quite different from the load of films produced by Hollywood, almost refusing to conform in any ways to the standards of Western modern cinema. If you are a die hard Argento fan you may recognize here and there the touch of the master who's reinterpretation of the Vampire story is obviously done following some Giallo codes and rules.

If you are looking for something realistic or more mainstream, pass your way, you will be disappointed purely and simply. One last thing I need to mention, regardless of the quality of the product itself, I must say, I wasn't bored a single moment and although this film has many flows and an obvious lack of budget, it was entertaining and well paced.

Dario Argento might not be on top of his game but the man knows how to shoot a picture and entertain his audience.... something that many directors today fail to achieve.