Bram Stoker’s Dracula (New 4K Master) [Blu-Ray]

Director: Francis Ford Coppola

Cast: Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder, Anthony Hopkins

Release Date: Available on Supreme Cinema Series & Standard Blu-ray October 6, 2015

A Review By: Kevin Lovell

Film Rating: 9/10
Disc Rating: 9.5/10

Synopsis:

From award-winning director Francis Ford Coppola comes the remake of the classic and chilling tale about the devastatingly seductive Transylvanian prince (Gary Oldman) who travels from Eastern Europe to 19th century London in search of human love. After centuries alone in his crumbling castle, Dracula’s taste for humanity has grown bold with desire, drawing him out of seclusion. When the charismatic Dracula meets Mina (Winona Ryder), a young woman who appears as the reincarnation of his lost love, the two embark on a journey of romantic passion and horror. Now fully remastered in 4K, experience this sensual gothic spectacle like never before.

*Unfortunately we were unable to provide our own screenshots for this Blu-ray release, therefore please note that all included images are in no way related to this particular release of the film, nor do they reflect its quality and are simply general images for the film.

From acclaimed filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola, the acclaimed 1992 take on ‘Bram Stoker’s Dracula’ still holds up today, as well as pushes boundaries even in today’s cinema standards with its brutality and risqué sexual elements which are generally quite uncommon in mainstream cinema. The film exudes true beauty in nearly every shot, utilizing rich, warm colors and impressive landscapes in addition to unique shot choices from Coppola which escalate even the most basic of scenes in this mind-warping masterpiece.

In addition to Francis Ford Coppola’s phenomenal job at the helm guiding this unique and beautifully eerie film from a screenplay by James V. Hart with grace, ‘Bram Stoker’s Dracula’ boasts a remarkable cast comprised of numerous talented individuals at top form including Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder, Anthony Hopkins, Keanu Reeves, Cary Elwes, Tom Waits and more, all of whom delivery notable performances in each of their respective roles, nonetheless Gary Oldman easily steals the show here with this outstanding portrayal of Dracula, undoubtedly one of his most impressive performances, which is certainly no small statement for an individual of his talent.

Many fans of Francis Ford Coppola’s 1992 masterpiece ‘Bram Stoker’s Dracula’ will surely want to make certain to pick up a copy of the new Blu-ray release to add to their collections. While unfortunately I can’t directly compare to other editions as I haven’t had the pleasure of any previous releases of this film, this new Blu-ray release does indeed deliver an impressive new high definition video presentation mastered in 4K, along with an outstanding Dolby Atmos (TrueHD 7.1 compatible) soundtrack and plenty of great extras including 2 Audio Commentary tracks and a great deal more including some new bonus goodies (more detailed information regarding the bonus content can be found in the special features section of the technical specification coverage below) which is certain to make it a must own for at least a number of its fans.

VIDEO:

The latest Blu-ray release of ‘Bram Stoker’s Dracula’ features a new full 1080p High Definition presentation mastered in 4K and utilizing the film’s original 1.85:1 Aspect Ratio. The video presentation looks fantastic, delivering a sharp, detailed presentation that beautifully accentuates this gorgeous film, while maintaining a reasonable amount of grain and other artifacts of its source, yet in the best way possible. This new 4K master holds up admirably even during the darkly lit and fast moving sequences which are fairly constant in the film, never resulting in anything occurring on screen to become negatively affected or rendered indiscernible. Overall, while I’m unable to compare with any previous releases of the film on Blu-ray, this is certainly an impressive high definition video presentation that should hopefully thrill fans of this great film.

AUDIO:

The Blu-ray release features a lossless Dolby Atmos/ TrueHD 7.1 channel soundtrack. This lossless multichannel soundtrack sounds magnificent and while I’m still unable to upgrade to a full Atmos audio system at this point, the Dolby TrueHD 7.1 soundtrack is nonetheless truly impressive, providing a sharp, clean and discrete audio presentation throughout, utilizing all seven available channels regularly in order to surround the viewer with the films gorgeous score in addition to taking advantage of numerous other fitting elements including carriages, the wind and other nature elements as the screen zooms through in Dracula’s POV, and a great deal more, while never causing any dialogue which may be occurring simultaneously to become distorted or rendered inaudible. Overall, this is a wonderful, hard hitting Dolby Atmos/ TrueHD 7.1 channel soundtrack that should not disappoint.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

This Blu-ray release of ‘Bram Stoker’s Dracula’ includes a hefty collection of extras. Included on the release are a number of ‘Deleted & Extended Scenes’ (running approximately 28 minutes altogether), a ‘Francis Ford Coppola Introduction’ (approximately 4 minutes), plus 2 Separate Audio Commentary tracks accompanying the feature, the first being a rare Commentary with Director Francis Ford Coppola, Visual Effects Director Roman Coppola, and Makeup Supervisor Greg Cannom, the second Audio Commentary featuring a solo Director Francis Ford Coppola. Also included on the release are a number of Featurettes including Behind the Scenes Footage, interviews with members of the cast and crew, plus videos looking back at the memorable film and more, they include: ‘Reflections in Blood: Francis Ford Coppola and Bram Stoker’s Dracula’ (29 minutes), ‘Practical Magicians: A Collaboration Between Father And Son’ (20 minutes), ‘The Blood Is The Life: The Making of Bram Stoker’s Dracula’ (28 minutes), ‘The Costumes Are The Sets: the Design of Eiko Ishioka’ (14 minutes), ‘In Camera: Naïve Visual Effects’ (19 minutes), and ‘Method and Madness: Visualizing Dracula’ (12 minutes). 2 Trailers for the film are included as well.

Film Rating: 9/10
Disc Rating: 9.5/10

‘Bram Stoker’s Dracula’ Arrives On Limited Edition Supreme Cinema Series & Standard Blu-Ray™ October 6, 2015 From Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

Purchase your copy of the Blu-Ray on Amazon at a discounted price (while also supporting our site) by clicking on the Amazon Cart Icon immediately below!