Dracula II: Ascension
by Patrick Lussier
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Actor: Craig Sheffer, Diane Neal, Jason Scott Lee, Jennifer Kroll, Khary PaytonDirector: Patrick Lussier
Brand: Buena Vista Home Video
Producer: Nick Phillips
Cinematographer: Douglas Milsome
Writer: Patrick Lussier
Producer: Joel Soisson
Writer: Joel Soisson
Producer: Ron Schmidt
Producer: W.K. Border
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 85 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2003-06-17
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Dimension
DVD Reviews of Dracula II: Ascension
DVD Review: More a prequel to Dracula III than a sequel to Dracula 2000
Summary: 3 Stars
Not only do you need to know that this direct to video movie is a sequel to "Dracula 2000," but that it is now the middle part of a trilogy that concludes this year with "Dracula III: The Legacy." Otherwise when you get to the "to be continued" ending you might feel cheated that you are left hanging just as things are starting to get interesting. But then for most of "Dracula II: Ascension" it is not really clear why this 2003 film is a sequel to what is now the original in all this.
In director Patrick Lussier's "Dracula 2000" the new twist on the story of Dracula is that we finally learn the real reason why the vampire loathes Christian symbols. It turns out that Dracula is really Judas Iscariot (you have to admit, it is an audacious idea even if it is rather ludicrous). However, this great revelation has almost nothing to do with this story except for a few seconds towards the end. This makes sense because except for Dracula's crisp corpse in the morgue most of this film has no reason to be tied to the first film. Throughout the important thing is that these characters have stumbled across a real live vampire, so to speak, and the fact that this is the burned body of Dracula is as inconsequential as the idea he is really Judas as well.
So, Dracula's body shows up in the morgue and as Elizabeth Blaine (Diane Neal) and Luke (Jason London) do the autopsy they come up with the crazy idea that this is the body of a vampire. Then something happens to convince them that they are correct in their suspicions, an idea that is reinforced when they suddenly get a phone call out of the blue from a mysterious stranger named Luke (John Light) offering $3 for the body. Luke is interested in the money, but Elizabeth sees an opportunity for the vampire's blood to save her boyfriend Lowell (Craig Sheffer), who suffers from a degenerative condition. Lowell brings along a pair of graduate assistants, Kenny (Khary Payton) and Tanya (Brande Roderick, Miss April 2000 for "Playboy"), so that the can help investigate the scientific properties of vampire blood and, of course, eventually be the vampire's victims.
Meanwhile, Father Uffizi (Jason Scott Lee), an imposing vampire killer with a bullwhip and a wicked looking scythe, is going around decapitating the undead. Dracula is next on his hit list, but his superior, Cardinal Siqueros (Roy Scheider) makes a point of telling Uffizi that he should not only be killing vampires but trying to save their souls. Even though Uffizi is a priest, this idea has never occurred to him before, but you know about the hierarchical structure of the Catholic church, so this will come into play in the film's end game.
The idea of scientists playing Dr. Frankenstein with Dracula has its moments, although of course such efforts are doomed to fail. At the same time "Dracula II" goes back to the ancient Eastern European superstitions that vampires have to untie knots and count scattered seed, a curious juxtaposition with the modern science and Judas elements of the story. This also sets up some strange comic relief at the film's climactic moment, although I like the idea of which character of this strange little lot shows the most courage and intelligence in the face of a hungry vampire.
Another addition to the vampire idea Dracula insists that he has had many incarnations. In addition to Vlad Tepes the names of Gilles de Rais and Caligula are thrown around. This works with the idea that every time Dracula comes back he looks differently, which explains why the character was played by Gerald Butler in the original, Stephen Billington in this one, and is going to be Rutger Hauer in the finale (you can catch a glimpse of him in a flashforward during the flashbacks). In other words, what could be an interesting idea with historical resonance, exploiting the whole Judas idea, ends up being an explanation for the casting in this trilogy.
There is a lot going on here in this film, although it is a mixed bag of hits and misses (and we have no idea why the title is "Ascension"). Lussier filmed both "Dracula II" and "Dracula III" at the same time, and in the finale Uffizi and a sidekick will travel to war torn Romania (where these movies were filmed) to try and finish off the vampire once and for all. Perhaps the best thing I can say for this film is that I am interested in seeing how this all plays out.
Description of Dracula II: Ascension
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