Dracula Review – Besson’s Romantic Reinterpretation of the Timeless Gothic Tale is Ridiculous but Entertaining

Perhaps audiences aren’t clamoring for a fresh take of Dracula from Luc Besson, the French maestro for polished extravagance. And yet, one must admit: his richly designed love story with vampires displays creativity and style – and in all its Hammer-y cheesiness, I’m not sure I wouldn’t prefer compared with the recent, stately interpretation by Robert Eggers of Nosferatu. Odd details emerge, such as a scene that appears to show a territorial boundary between France and Romania.

The Veteran Actor as a Humorously Exhausted Vampire-Hunting Priest

Christoph Waltz plays a witty yet careworn man of the church pursuing the undead – it’s surprising he never took on this role before – who ends up in Paris in 1889 for the French Revolution centenary celebrations. The same goes for the malevolent vampire count, played by the body-horror veteran Caleb Landry Jones with a mangled central European accent evoking Carell’s Gru character in the Despicable Me films. This character he seemed destined to play.

The Plot: A Saga of Heartbreak

Here’s the premise: the vampire lord has been restlessly roaming the world in sorrow for hundreds of years since he became undead, a consequence due to his blasphemous mourning following the loss of his spouse Elisabeta (an inaugural screen appearance for Zoë Bleu, Rosanna Arquette’s child). the vampire has looked tirelessly for a lady who could be the rebirth of his departed beloved. Unfortunately, the fortunate female turns out to be Mina (portrayed once more by Bleu), the demure fiancee of Dracula’s wimpish land agent, Jonathan Harker (enacted by Ewens Abid), who just traveled to the count’s castle to negotiate his real estate holdings and whose miniature portrait of the lovely Mina drew the vampire’s attention.

The Filmmaker’s Approach and Humorous Style

Besson structures Dracula’s flashback sequence of worldwide travels wearing flamboyant outfits confidently, and he willingly includes offering humorous scenes with a distinctly Mel Brooks flavour – like the count’s repeated and futile attempts to commit suicide following Elisabeta’s passing, as well as farcical scenes that follow Dracula sprays himself using a particular scent during the 1700s in Florence, that renders him unavoidably attractive to females. Outlandish but entertaining.

Dracula is available digitally beginning on the first of December and for physical purchase from 22 December. It plays in Australian cinemas starting February 5, 2026.