Dracula Review – Besson’s Love-Struck Reinterpretation of the Timeless Gothic Tale is Ridiculous but Watchable
It’s possible there is no great enthusiasm for a fresh take of Dracula from Luc Besson, the filmmaker known for polished extravagance. Still, one must admit: his opulently crafted love story with vampires displays creativity and style – and with its B-movie charm, it could be preferable over Eggers’s dignified recent take of Nosferatu. Odd details emerge, such as a scene that seems to depict a land border between France and Romania.
The Veteran Actor as a Clever but Weary Priest Tracking the Undead
Christoph Waltz portrays a clever but beleaguered vampire-hunting priest – it’s surprising he never took on this character previously – who arrives in Paris in 1889 during the centennial of the French Revolution. The same goes for the sinister Dracula, played by the expert in grotesque roles Caleb Landry Jones with a mangled central European accent reminiscent of Carell’s Gru character in the Despicable Me films. This character that he too was born to take on.
The Plot: A Chronicle of Longing
The story is this: the vampire lord has wandered endlessly the earth in anguish for 400 years following his rise as one of the undead, a penalty for his irreligious grief after the passing of his beloved Elisabeta (an inaugural screen appearance for Zoë Bleu, daughter of Rosanna Arquette). The count has been searching, searching, searching for a female who would be the reincarnation of his lost love. Unfortunately, the lucky lady is revealed as Mina (also Bleu, of course), the reserved future wife of Dracula’s feeble property handler, Jonathan Harker (enacted by Ewens Abid), who just traveled to the count’s castle to discuss his real estate holdings and the tiny painting of the charming Mina caught the count’s hooded eye.
The Filmmaker’s Approach and Comic Flair
Besson arranges Dracula’s middle-section history of worldwide travels wearing flamboyant outfits skillfully, and he willingly includes giving us humorous scenes reminiscent of Mel Brooks – like Dracula’s ongoing failed efforts to end his own life post-Elisabeta’s demise, along with farcical scenes that result after Dracula douses himself in a certain perfume in 18th-century Florence, which makes him irresistible to women. Ridiculous and watchable.
Dracula can be streamed online starting December 1st and for physical purchase from December 22nd. It screens in Australian cinemas starting February 5, 2026.
