Dracula Review – Besson’s Romantic Reinterpretation of the Gothic Classic is Outlandish but Engaging
Maybe there is no great enthusiasm for an updated adaptation of Dracula from Luc Besson, the French maestro for glossiness and bloat. And yet, it has to be said: his opulently crafted love story with vampires has ambition and panache – and with its B-movie charm, it could be preferable to it to Robert Eggers’s recent, solemnly classy version of Nosferatu. There are some very bizarre touches, such as a scene that seems to depict a territorial boundary between France and Romania.
Christoph Waltz as a Witty Yet Careworn Vampire-Hunting Priest
Christoph Waltz plays a humorous yet burdened cleric fighting vampires – it feels natural for him to tackle such a part earlier – who finds himself in Paris in 1889 for the French Revolution centenary celebrations. The same goes for the evil Count Dracula, brought to life by the expert in grotesque roles Caleb Landry Jones speaking in a twisted regional dialect reminiscent of the voice of Gru by Steve Carell from the Despicable Me comedies. This is a part that he too was born to take on.
The Plot: A Chronicle of Longing
The story is this: Dracula has wandered endlessly the earth in anguish for 400 years since he became undead, a consequence due to his blasphemous mourning after the passing of his wife, Elisabeta (an inaugural screen appearance for Zoë Bleu, Rosanna Arquette’s child). The count has been searching, searching, searching for some woman who could be the reincarnation of his departed beloved. By cruel fate, the chosen woman is revealed as Mina (again played by Bleu), the demure fiancee of Dracula’s wimpish land agent, Jonathan Harker (played by Ewens Abid), who has recently been to the count’s castle to review his property portfolio and the small picture of the lovely Mina attracted Dracula’s gaze.
Besson’s Direction and Comic Flair
Besson organizes Dracula’s second-act backstory of international journeys wearing flamboyant outfits skillfully, and he is not above offering funny bits reminiscent of Mel Brooks – such as the count’s repeated and futile attempts to kill himself post-Elisabeta’s demise, in addition to absurd moments that result after Dracula applies to himself in a certain perfume during the 1700s in Florence, that renders him unavoidably attractive to females. Ridiculous and watchable.
Dracula is on digital platforms from 1 December and for physical purchase starting the twenty-second of December. It will be shown in Australian cinemas starting February 5, 2026.
