If you enjoy beautiful period dramas then this is for you. Everything about this is just glorious from the costumes, soundtrack, love story and the cinematograph (for which is has been nominated for an award). I have not read the original so cannot compare but stumbled on an episode on sky tv and it caught my attention. There are some shocking vampire scenes but they are not overdone and they are short in duration,each episode is so much more. I am not a fan of horror or gory scenes and I still enjoyed this, again the special effects are splendid. The main actors all sparkle and it is hard not to be captivated by Jonathan Rhys Meyers who is quite brilliant as Dracula. I've been an amazon customer a long time and this is the first time I have written a review. We'll worth the money and I've watched it twice over since it was delivered-addictive!

I was trepidatious about this, to say the very least. And the trailers didn't tell me squat of what to expect. So I watched.

And I found the story of Dracula teaming up with Van Helsing to take down the rich and powerful Order of the Dragon (who have caused them both so much heart ache in their personal lives) so refreshing!

Jonathan Rhys Meyers manages to portray the dark intensity of Dracula very well, without being completely cheesy. You can't help but feel for the centuries old vampire as he tries to do the right thing by the woman he so deeply loves, even if it hurts him. (Besides, I was always on Dracula's side in all the movies. Why can't the mortals just let him have his love?)

If you were looking for a carbon copy of the source material, this isn't for you.

But if you're willing to open your mind and take things with a pinch of salt and a side of cheese, then you will enjoy this show. I am loving every single second of it. It's officially my "must see" of the week.

While this version of 'Dracula' strays far from your standard take on Bram Stoker's classic novel, that is the very thing that makes it so refreshing. Normally, I would consider such drastic deviations from the original work to be detrimental, off-putting, even. Still, I cannot count that as a fault in this instance, as the writers work the changes into something that revitalizes an old story while preserving the bare bones of its plot and maintaining some semblance of recognizability. There are little nods to scenes in the book, and certainly an outstanding job was done with the dark, gothic atmosphere. Some elements are anachronistic, although this seems to have been done purposely, and to negligible effect - I enjoyed a few of these modernistic facets, while not being so thrilled about others. The male costumes are quite good, but the female leads mostly sport ensembles that are an odd amalgamation of neo-Victorian and 1940s fashion. I could have done without that, though it's probably one of my worst complaints.

The original lineup of characters have also undergone some interesting changes. Jonathan Harker starts out as a journalist for The Inquisitor, then becomes an attache of sorts to Dracula, who presents himself to polite society as an American named Alexander Greyson. He has been revived by none other than Van Helsing, who appears to be an ally of of his in this version, while Renfield has been promoted to the role of loyal valet. Shockingly enough, Jonathan Rhys Meyers pulls off the American aspect so flawlessly, with such subtlety to his performance, it becomes an asset in this series, giving Dracula a deportment of arrogance that works perfectly here. Mina Murray is a rising medical student, and Lucy... well, she is still pretty much the same.

I did think the pilot started off weakly, but as the series progresses, it seems to be gaining more depth and improves greatly with each new episode. The writing is in a league of its own compared to practically everything else on television, and despite the slightly modern adjustments we are occasionally subjected to (for the purpose of adding in minor steampunk elements, I suspect) there is something indefinable here that conveyed the neo-Victorian goth mood so strongly. I was definitely not expecting to see this much attention to detail from a tv series, and discovering it was a very pleasant surprise. Read more ›

Jonathan Rhys Myers brings a refreshing twist to the legend of the sanguinary count that breathes a bit of new life into a somewhat tiring tale which has literally otherwise been done to death! This isn't an adaptation but a variant in which Dracula, assisted by an unusual ally, is set on destroying the ancient but evil Hungarian chivalric Order of the Dragon of which he and his father were once members!

Nowadays (well, 'thenadays') the order is clothed in the costume of Nineteenth Century Victorian industrial enterprise in the form of a corporate competitor standing in the way of Dracula's inventive scientific and technological progress and the action, as well as being of the traditional kind, is played out in boardrooms and the inner sanctum of the very freemason-like evil order. Purists will probably scoff and gnash their teeth but it looks sumptuous, the sets are superb with acting to match. Its fun, appropriately erotic, and it's set in a kind of fairytale Gothic steampunk version of Victorian London!

I missed this when it was first televised & now I'm just two episodes from the end!
Absolutely love it, from the characters, costumes, set design, story, & all backed by Trevor Morris' wonderful score which I can listen to endlessly. Bloody great!!

Please let there be a season 2 to look forward to!

This was definitely for me. The story line was great, with several layers - completely had me hooked. Dracula was hot (who'd have thought!). This is a romance, deep with passion and an alternative story. If you looking for period correctness or have a deep love for the original Dracula story then this may not be for you. If you like a love story with a bit of grit and you're bored with the usual predictability of most romantic films, then you will most likely love this. I cant wait for the next series.