One of the finest films of it's era, and one of Burton's best.
The infallible, never-say-die spirit of the worst director of horror cinema (or cinema in general) is perfected to the T by Depp's towering performance, Bill Murray shines in a role tailor-made for him, Sarah Jessica Parker and Patricia Arquette play their muse roles to near-perfection, and Lisa Marie makes for a delectable Vampira.
But I thought the film belonged completely to Martin Landau's Bela Lugosi. Landau captures the essence of Lugosi in his last days, an ageing, forgotten superstar who yearns for the spotlight one final time, despite his long drug addiction getting the better of him. You can feel his melancholiness, his despair, his legacy of being THE Count, and his larger-than-life presence. An Oscar well-deserved, sir. Hats off!
A must-watch, if any of you haven't already. Don't make me shoot you!
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