Review Detail
9.6 12 10
Overall rating
9.0
Audio/Video Quality
10.0
Audio Editing
10.0
Visual Editing
8.0
Narrative
8.0
Enjoyment
9.0
This is a really good fanedit; I'm a sucker for the idea of presenting/editing a film into a different style than its original form, and this edit is a very very good example of how to go about it.
Audio and video quality are both great - I haven't listened to the complete alternate score, but have no reason to assume there are any problems there.
The video editing is mostly very strong - the use of tinting was very nice, with a number of subtleties that helped sell the effect. Similarly, the styling on the titlecards and fades/transitions were very nice, and the film-aging effect was elegantly restrained, present without drawing undue attention to itself. Unfortunately, there are still some issues - while I really appreciate the font chosen, combined with the font size and titlecard duration it was almost impossible to read the entirety of any titlecards more than 2 lines long. Similarly some of the transitions felt hurried. I don't want to end this part on a negative note, though, so I'll mention here that there were a number of shots that were simply breathtaking as presented here - the flash of lightning when Harker is in the coach on the way to Dracula's castle is but one of many memorable images in this edit.
Narratively, I felt it was very good for someone already familiar with the story and Coppola's film (or Nosferatu, for that matter). The breakneck pace never lets up and actually becomes somewhat disorienting towards the end, with several shots in the climactic chase sequence feeling too short to be effective. Combined with the brevity of the intertitles, I suspect someone new to the material would have a hard time keeping up. In this regard it felt like some of the editing choices were made to suit the running time of the score rather than the narrative, which is rather unfortunate.
It may seem that I'm complaining a lot about this edit; that's not my intention. This edit is definitely worth viewing, flaws notwithstanding - if you like Coppola's film, or Murnau's Nosferatu, you will almost certainly derive a great deal of enjoyment from this edit. The fact that such a high standard has been achieved by a first-time editor is even more commendable; I look forward to seeing whatever Paulisdead turns their hand to next.
Audio and video quality are both great - I haven't listened to the complete alternate score, but have no reason to assume there are any problems there.
The video editing is mostly very strong - the use of tinting was very nice, with a number of subtleties that helped sell the effect. Similarly, the styling on the titlecards and fades/transitions were very nice, and the film-aging effect was elegantly restrained, present without drawing undue attention to itself. Unfortunately, there are still some issues - while I really appreciate the font chosen, combined with the font size and titlecard duration it was almost impossible to read the entirety of any titlecards more than 2 lines long. Similarly some of the transitions felt hurried. I don't want to end this part on a negative note, though, so I'll mention here that there were a number of shots that were simply breathtaking as presented here - the flash of lightning when Harker is in the coach on the way to Dracula's castle is but one of many memorable images in this edit.
Narratively, I felt it was very good for someone already familiar with the story and Coppola's film (or Nosferatu, for that matter). The breakneck pace never lets up and actually becomes somewhat disorienting towards the end, with several shots in the climactic chase sequence feeling too short to be effective. Combined with the brevity of the intertitles, I suspect someone new to the material would have a hard time keeping up. In this regard it felt like some of the editing choices were made to suit the running time of the score rather than the narrative, which is rather unfortunate.
It may seem that I'm complaining a lot about this edit; that's not my intention. This edit is definitely worth viewing, flaws notwithstanding - if you like Coppola's film, or Murnau's Nosferatu, you will almost certainly derive a great deal of enjoyment from this edit. The fact that such a high standard has been achieved by a first-time editor is even more commendable; I look forward to seeing whatever Paulisdead turns their hand to next.
T