Dracula 2000

2000, ***1/2, Horror-Drama

Wes Craven ("Scream," "Cursed") does a mediocre job with this one. But, something about the atmosphere in New Orleans makes it enticing, as well as the blend of cast members.

Dr. Van Helsing (Christopher Plummer, "The Lake House," "Must Love Dogs") has been keeping Dracula (Gerard Butler, "300," "PS I Love You") locked up in a steel coffin for many years, in a holding cell beneath his office in London. His secretary Solina (Jennifer Esposito, ABC's "Samantha Who," "We Own the Night") is a crook and has a group of guys she works with that think Van Helsing has priceless jewels in his heavily secured area. They had no clue that Van Helsing has been protecting the world from a blood-sucking nightmare. Solina and her crew take the coffin, thinking "prized" possessions are inside, and have one hell of a time.

After the theft, Van Helsing and his helper (Jonny Lee Miller, "Hackers," "Mind Hunters") take off to track the thieves down. After all, they have released Dracula and they will all end up being among the undead. Van Helsing has to kill them all before more destruction occurs.

This film depicts Dracula as an angel that was damned to hell for not being a good angel, and turned into a blood-sucking creature of the night, doomed to walk the earth forever. I think Gerard Butler played a great Dracula and is one the best of the numerous actors playing Dracula in the last 30 years. He is sleek, sexy, and terrifying. (Note: He was one of the contenders for the new James Bond but lost out when the powers that be gave it to Daniel Craig. I was disappointed, but I'm sure we will see more of Gerard Butler in the future.)

I will admit without veteran actor Christopher Plummer in Dracula 2000, it would have been a much weaker horror flick, but his style and acting skill brought this one up to a higher. Miller does a decent job but he's developing his acting skills.