Dracula Review – Luc Besson’s Love-Struck Reinterpretation of the Timeless Gothic Tale is Outlandish but Entertaining
Maybe there is no great enthusiasm for a fresh take of Dracula from Luc Besson, the filmmaker known for glossiness and bloat. 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 to it to Robert Eggers’s recent, solemnly classy version of Nosferatu. A few strange elements appear, like a particular moment that looks like it presents a land border between France and Romania.
Christoph Waltz as a Humorously Exhausted Vampire-Hunting Priest
Christoph Waltz embodies a witty yet careworn man of the church pursuing the undead – it feels natural for him to tackle this role before – who arrives in Paris in 1889 for the French Revolution centenary celebrations. The same goes for the sinister Dracula, played by the expert in grotesque roles Caleb Landry Jones speaking in a twisted regional dialect similar to the voice of Gru by Steve Carell from the Despicable Me comedies. This is a part suits him perfectly.
The Story: A Tale of Love and Loss
The plot unfolds as follows: the vampire lord has been restlessly roaming the earth in anguish for 400 years following his rise as one of the undead, a consequence for his faithless sorrow following the loss of his wife, Elisabeta (a movie debut role for Zoë Bleu, Rosanna Arquette’s child). the vampire has looked tirelessly for a female who would be the reincarnation of his departed beloved. By cruel fate, the lucky lady is revealed as Mina (portrayed once more by Bleu), the demure fiancee of the count’s timid estate manager, Jonathan Harker (Ewens Abid), who has recently been to the count’s castle to negotiate his land assets and whose miniature portrait of the winsome Mina attracted Dracula’s gaze.
Besson’s Handling and Comic Flair
Besson arranges Dracula’s middle-section history of global roaming in various outrageous costumes with a sure hand, and he willingly includes providing humorous scenes reminiscent of Mel Brooks – such as the count’s repeated and futile attempts to end his own life following Elisabeta’s passing, as well as absurd moments that result after Dracula douses himself using a particular scent in 18th-century Florence, which makes him compelling to the opposite sex. Absurd yet engaging.
Dracula is on digital platforms beginning on the first of December and on DVD and Blu-ray from December 22nd. It will be shown in Australian cinemas from 5 February 2026.
