Dracula Review – Luc Besson’s Love-Struck Revamp of the Gothic Classic is Ridiculous but Watchable
Perhaps audiences aren’t clamoring for a new version of Dracula from Luc Besson, the celebrated French director for glossiness and bloat. Still, one must admit: his opulently crafted romantic vampire tale boasts bold vision and flair – and amid its theatrical camp, it could be preferable over Robert Eggers’s recent, solemnly classy version of Nosferatu. Odd details emerge, like a particular moment that appears to show a geographic divide between France and Romania.
Waltz as a Humorously Exhausted Vampire-Hunting Priest
Christoph Waltz portrays a witty yet careworn cleric fighting vampires – it’s surprising he never took on this role before – who ends up in Paris in 1889 during the centennial of the French Revolution. The same goes for the sinister Dracula, brought to life by the seasoned horror actor Caleb Landry Jones speaking in a twisted regional dialect reminiscent of Steve Carell’s Gru in the Despicable Me films. It’s a role suits him perfectly.
The Story: A Tale of Love and Loss
The plot unfolds as follows: the count has traveled ceaselessly the globe in torment over four centuries after his transformation into a vampire, a punishment for his irreligious grief after the passing of his spouse Elisabeta (a movie debut role for Zoë Bleu, Rosanna Arquette’s child). the vampire has sought relentlessly for some woman who might be the reincarnation of his lost love. As ill fortune would have it, the fortunate female turns out to be Mina (again played by Bleu), the reserved future wife of Dracula’s wimpish land agent, Jonathan Harker (enacted by Ewens Abid), who has recently been to the vampire’s estate to review his land assets and whose miniature portrait of the charming Mina attracted Dracula’s gaze.
Besson’s Handling and Lighthearted Touch
Besson arranges Dracula’s flashback sequence of worldwide travels wearing flamboyant outfits confidently, and he doesn’t shy away from offering some comedy moments in the style of Mel Brooks – such as the count’s repeated and futile attempts to commit suicide following Elisabeta’s passing, as well as farcical scenes that result after Dracula sprays himself in a certain perfume in historic Florence, that renders him irresistible to women. Ridiculous and watchable.
Dracula is on digital platforms from 1 December and in disc format starting the twenty-second of December. It screens in Australian cinemas from 5 February 2026.
