Dracula Review – The French Director’s Love-Struck Reinterpretation of the Classic Horror Story is Ridiculous but Entertaining
Perhaps interest is limited for a fresh take of Dracula from Luc Besson, the filmmaker known for stylish excess. Still, one must admit: his richly designed romantic vampire tale boasts bold vision and flair – and with its B-movie charm, I might just favor compared with the recent, stately interpretation by Robert Eggers of Nosferatu. There are some very bizarre touches, including one shot that looks like it presents a geographic divide between France and Romania.
Christoph Waltz as a Witty Yet Careworn Vampire-Hunting Priest
Christoph Waltz embodies a clever but beleaguered man of the church pursuing the undead – it’s surprising he never took on such a part earlier – who finds himself in Paris in 1889 during the centennial of the French Revolution. So does the sinister Dracula, played by the expert in grotesque roles Caleb Landry Jones with a mangled central European accent evoking Steve Carell’s Gru from the Despicable Me comedies. It’s a role he seemed destined to play.
The Plot: A Saga of Heartbreak
The plot unfolds as follows: the count has traveled ceaselessly the world in sorrow over four centuries after his transformation into a vampire, a penalty for his irreligious grief following the loss of his beloved Elisabeta (a movie debut role for Zoë Bleu, the offspring of Rosanna Arquette). Dracula has been searching, searching, searching for some woman who could be the reincarnation of his lost love. By cruel fate, the lucky lady proves to be Mina (again played by Bleu), the modest betrothed of Dracula’s feeble property handler, Jonathan Harker (enacted by Ewens Abid), who just traveled to Dracula’s fortress to negotiate his property portfolio and whose miniature portrait of the winsome Mina attracted Dracula’s gaze.
Besson’s Handling and Humorous Style
Besson arranges Dracula’s second-act backstory of international journeys wearing flamboyant outfits with a sure hand, and he willingly includes providing some comedy moments with a distinctly Mel Brooks flavour – such as the vampire’s constant unsuccessful tries to commit suicide following Elisabeta’s passing, as well as farcical scenes that follow Dracula douses himself with a specific fragrance in 18th-century Florence, that renders him unavoidably attractive to females. Absurd yet engaging.
Dracula can be streamed online beginning on the first of December and for physical purchase from December 22nd. It plays in Australian cinemas from 5 February 2026.
