Dracula Review – Luc Besson’s Love-Struck Revamp of the Timeless Gothic Tale is Outlandish but Watchable
It’s possible there is no great enthusiasm for an updated adaptation of Dracula from Luc Besson, the celebrated French director for glossiness and bloat. However, one must admit: his richly designed romantic vampire tale boasts bold vision and flair – and amid its theatrical camp, I’m not sure I wouldn’t prefer compared with Eggers’s dignified recent take of Nosferatu. Odd details emerge, such as a scene that seems to depict a territorial boundary between France and Romania.
Waltz as a Witty Yet Careworn Clergyman Hunting Vampires
Christoph Waltz embodies a witty yet careworn man of the church pursuing the undead – it feels natural for him to tackle this character previously – who ends up in Paris in 1889 for the French Revolution centenary celebrations. The same goes for the malevolent vampire count, enacted by the body-horror veteran Caleb Landry Jones speaking in a twisted regional dialect similar to Steve Carell’s Gru in the Despicable Me films. It’s a role suits him perfectly.
The Narrative: A Tale of Love and Loss
The plot unfolds as follows: Dracula has been restlessly roaming the earth in sorrow over four centuries after his transformation into a vampire, a consequence for his faithless sorrow after the passing of his wife, Elisabeta (a movie debut role for Zoë Bleu, daughter of Rosanna Arquette). The count has been searching, searching, searching for a lady who might be the rebirth of his departed beloved. As ill fortune would have it, the lucky lady is revealed as Mina (portrayed once more by Bleu), the demure fiancee of Dracula’s wimpish land agent, Jonathan Harker (played by Ewens Abid), who just traveled to the count’s castle to negotiate his property portfolio and the small picture of the charming Mina caught the count’s hooded eye.
The Filmmaker’s Approach and Comic Flair
Besson structures Dracula’s second-act backstory of international journeys sporting extravagant attire with a sure hand, and he willingly includes providing some comedy moments in the style of Mel Brooks – like the vampire’s constant unsuccessful tries to kill himself following Elisabeta’s passing, along with farcical scenes that occur when Dracula applies to himself with a specific fragrance during the 1700s in Florence, which causes him to be irresistible to women. Outlandish but entertaining.
Dracula can be streamed online from 1 December and in disc format from December 22nd. It screens in Australian cinemas starting February 5, 2026.
