Dracula 2000 is a strange movie. The cast was made up of big names at the time, with Gerard Butler, Jonny Lee Miller, Christopher Plummer, Omar Epps, Nathan Fillion, Jeri Ryan, and the pop singer Vitamin C. Those might not be "A-list" names, but they're all pretty well known. Also, I really liked the reveal in this movie that Dracula was actually
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Judas Iscariot
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hatred of Christianity specifically (not just all religion)
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aversion to silver
And yet, there's something about this movie that just feels off. Maybe it's the writing, but most of this movie feels like a B-movie horror despite the wide theatrical release and (relatively) big name cast. I still really enjoy the movie, but I can see its flaws and wouldn't argue with anyone who didn't enjoy it.
Oddly enough, despite really enjoying this movie, I've never bothered to watch any of the sequels:
I think my problem is that the sequels were direct-to-video and none of the previous cast returned so there's really no point in watching them. As far as I can tell, there's nothing that actually links them to the first movie.
Anyway, here's a trailer for Dracula 2000. You can watch it now on Pluto.
Your thoughts more or less match my own. Some really good concepts and actors were mostly wasted on lacklustre execution. As a Trekkie, I’m especially disappointed that Jeri Ryan was so underutilized. She could have killed as a vampire if she were given a little more to do.
I did catch the first sequel, and appreciated its use of some of the less celebrated lore like
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distracting a vampire with knotted ropespoiler
Judas