Dracula

Much more modest than I expected, especially considering that the first half takes place in two locations and the second half, for the most part, actually just in a single one. Only in the finale does it ignite exactly the passion that I would have expected from this creative duo. I admire Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss in all their writing, and Dracula reminds me most of their famous work, Sherlock. This classic work is frequently quoted, often paraphrased, frequently turned upside down, and often takes bold shots from the side, occasionally hitting exactly those places that the viewers will love, and occasionally completely missing the mark. I always admired their boldness, and with Sherlock, all the aspects came together perfectly. But here their gradually changing and increasingly loose style developed over the course of thirteen episodes filmed over seven years. Dracula attempts the same transformation in just three episodes broadcast over three days. Therefore, it cannot impress with long-term development, and I understand why the ending rubs some people the wrong way. On the contrary, The Dark Compass struck the right chord with me, perhaps with its wild madness, or with the feeling that once again, the screenwriters' dreams are coming true, or maybe because the central power struggle between the protagonist and eternal enemy ended differently than readers wanted. Sometimes, such an atmosphere borders on mindless fan service, but I don't mind. Why should I? It hit me with full force. Under different circumstances, I tend to be quite conservative when it comes to adhering to source material, classics, tradition, and the canon, but this version of the Count grows closer to my heart the more it deviates from the classic perspective (which, it must be said, we've already seen a hundred times). (27/01/2020)

The Dracula television series is very divisive. It has its moments, with the first episode definitely being the best. The great confrontations between Sister Agatha and Dracula are the show's highlight. However, the attempt to be too original, too different, and too modern ultimately leads to the legend being drowned in this adaptation, and it ends up as a weird patchwork that does not really know what it is. (05/03/2020)

Apart from Leslie Nielsen in Dracula: Dead and Loving It, the Count has probably never been funnier. No, seriously, I thoroughly enjoyed his new version and deliberately didn't look here in the comments between episodes because I knew there would be a lot of complaining. And there was. Who can stomach what the writers have done to Stoker's premise? But hand on heart, was it even worth retelling for the umpteenth time? I mean, no, after the trailer I was already sorry that the Sherlock creators didn't set Dracula in the present day as well, it took no more than the first episode to make me not care. Yet after the classically conceived beginning, the plot quickly takes different (albeit familiar) path and it's more or less a classic horror film with one twist after another. The second part is like an Agatha Christie whodunit, and by the end you wonder what on earth is going to happen in the last part, and there's another surprise. It's bold, original, and fun, all the while sure of where it's going... It's great stuff. (05/01/2020)