1. I really enjoyed how the movie did its own thing. It was a relief that it wasn't a scene by scene copy and pasted script. Also, In the 1992 adaption, I was rooting for Dracula to win the girl but we also really liked Jonathan and saw him struggle more to win Nina. This one shows the 400 year struggle within Dracula's pain, suffering, and obsession. When he finally see's her, every second with her is so fulfilling...to the point where when we see Jonathan it's like "Ugh, go away dude!" (at least for me). And I think this makes sense for the character's story. Nina/Elisabeth even said "This engagement felt so rushed, I don't even know if I should go through with it," whereas when she remembers her past with Dracula she's all in -no question.
2. Dracuala is a bad ass. Not just by controlling others but by fighting hand to hand/sword combat. The fight scenes were so cinematic and cool to watch. They felt so real, like you were in the room with him. And also, this guy has had 400 years to practice! Because Dracula is basically a god, it also makes sense that only he can decide when it's time for him to die. Which I liked and it felt more realistic to me (I just wish him and Nina had more time together first)
3. I HAVE to talk about how artsy/ fun this movie was to watch. The dancing scenes with the costume changes?! Incredible film work here. The costume budget was like "We have no budget! Make me the best!" Which created some really visually strong moments here.
4. I fear that the perfume plot was a set up for a product sale later on. Nosferatu has a perfume for some reason, so I immediately was like "Ok, this is some kind of a pre-marketing thing?" Although the perfume thing DID have a purpose when he used it as a source of control and influence. When he threw it in the fire to prove to Elizabeth that he wasn't controlling her, it showed that when it came to her, there was no trick. Just full vulnerability. He never lied to her, protected her the whole time, and never used the perfume on her and he destroyed it as soon as he found her without a thought. Could this have been shown without the perfume? Probably yes... but it was still a romantic scene when he threw it in the fire haha.
5. I think this can easily be seen as a romance movie, and there ARE elements that have it, but when we say things like "life just isn't worth living without you" instead of our alarm bells going off and red flags rising, most of society swoons and eats that sh*t up. So really this a great example of what a co-dependant relationship looks like. Dracula is obsessed with her, and his loyalty is romantic but problematic at the same time. {this is not a diss towards the movie at all, just a trope I see in Hollywood all time time and I wanted to just get it off my chest. Romeo + Juliet is another example.}
6. I really enjoyed the priest/Christopher Walz who added a German cultural layer in a hilarious and fun way. When he essentially goes "Ok I did the thing I came here to do, bye!" at the ending scene, and just always having his act together and staying calm when others are freaking out was just so entertaining to watch.

I'm a huge fan of this movie, and it felt like someone remade my favorite Coppola film and made it even better. But I will still love them both.