Dracula

I'm not a fan of those series/movies but i admit this one is masterpiece. The main actor (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) was incredible, mysterious man and unexpectedly sentimental. The whole cast was good but the script wants some amendments. The biggest problem is season 2 not exist. I don't know why producers determined to finished that too soon but it was a huge mistake.

Dracula is a story that has been done as many times as Pride and Prejudice, sometimes as a success (Bram Stoker's Dracula being a personal favourite), sometimes as a complete utter failure (Dracula 3000).

Thankfully, this version starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers is one towards the successful end of the spectrum. While most of the supporting cast are mediocre, Jonathan Harker, a character often mocked, (looking at you Keanu), here has a very different story than the original, something that was fresh and enjoyable. Oliver Jackson Cohen does a smashing job as Harker, second only to Mr. Dracul himself. Rhys Meyers plays a three-piece suit clad Dracula in this 10 episode series with grace and equal parts cunning and danger. Thomas Kretschmann as a secondary character has given Dr. Van Helsing a new outlook as well.

Overall, this is a retelling of an oft repeated story, could have been done better and yet, done better than most.

Dracula has been done more times than pretty much any other story, and it's difficult to create something new in that kind of environment. Nevertheless, this incarnation, if done well, could be an incredibly compelling series, even if only to fanatics of the original. The titular character is made substantially more complex, both with a historical back-story (ala Bram Stoker's Dracula) and the incorporation of a Count of Monte Cristo-like persona into the vampire myth.

The novel Dracula was already a polyphonous one (being told through letters of various people), and by taking select bits of the original dialogue and mixing them into a more wide-scale (but interesting) context, each character is given a chance to be shown and developed in an organic way.

It's stylish, fairly atmospheric, and the dialogue is both era-appropriate and mostly lacking in clichés. Overall, it was nice to see show creators who seemed to genuinely want to do something creative rather than just going through the motions (such as in "Agents of Shield."). Who knows if Dracula will pan out well, but it's definitely worth seeing if it does.

Have to say without reservation that I will watch both Thomas Kretschmann and Jonathan Rhys Meyers in anything they choose. I would watch them sitting and staring at a wall for an hour because I know both are talented enough to make it interesting. Pairing the two and pitting them against a shadowy shared foe should prove interesting and I'm intrigued enough to want to know more. I like the lavishness of the production value and enjoy hearing all the names familiar to the novel, though with different interpretations. The character of Renfield has certainly taken a unique twist, and oh my goodness the shining Lady Jayne definitely has some secrets, doesn't she? Throwing in Thomas Edison, Nikola Tesla and the magnetosphere doesn't hurt. Flashlights didn't exist, eh? Well, do vampires? Take it for what it is, an imaginative derivation of a tale that still enthralls. I for one will keep watching, and probably re-watching to catch what I miss.

I was skeptical about this show as it sounded generic. "Dracula"... really? The most famous vampire ever? But half-way through the first episode I realized this show was showing some surprising depth, not to mention top notch acting, beautiful cinematography, and a solid soundtrack. All I hear from naysayers is that this isn't Dracula according to Bram Stoker. So what? Do we want that same old stuff recycled forever? Or can we just enjoy a retelling of a famous name and not get bogged down by nitpicking?

The show is compelling thus far. Let's hope it at least gets a full season. NBC is showing some signs of life with this one, hopefully they don't ax it early like is the norm these days in network television.