Dracula Movie Critique – Besson’s Romantic Reimagining of the Timeless Gothic Tale is Absurd but Engaging
Maybe there is no great enthusiasm for an updated adaptation of Dracula from Luc Besson, the filmmaker known for polished extravagance. And yet, it has to be said: his lavishly upholstered 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 territorial boundary between France and Romania.
Christoph Waltz as a Humorously Exhausted Clergyman Hunting Vampires
Christoph Waltz portrays a humorous yet burdened vampire-hunting priest – it feels natural for him to tackle this role before – 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 similar to Steve Carell’s Gru in the Despicable Me films. This is a part suits him perfectly.
The Narrative: A Saga of Heartbreak
The story is this: the count has traveled ceaselessly the world in sorrow for hundreds of years since he became undead, a punishment for his faithless sorrow following the loss of his beloved Elisabeta (an inaugural screen appearance for Zoë Bleu, daughter of Rosanna Arquette). The count has sought relentlessly for a lady who might be the return of his deceased partner. Unfortunately, the fortunate female turns out to be Mina (again played by Bleu), the demure fiancee of Dracula’s wimpish land agent, Jonathan Harker (enacted by Ewens Abid), who just traveled to Dracula’s fortress to review his property portfolio and the small picture of the winsome Mina caught the count’s hooded eye.
Besson’s Direction and Lighthearted Touch
Besson organizes Dracula’s flashback sequence of global roaming in various outrageous costumes confidently, and he is not above offering funny bits with a distinctly Mel Brooks flavour – for example Dracula’s ongoing failed efforts to end his own life after Elisabeta’s death, as well as farcical scenes that occur when Dracula douses himself with a specific fragrance during the 1700s in Florence, which makes him compelling to the opposite sex. Outlandish but entertaining.
Dracula can be streamed online from 1 December and for physical purchase from December 22nd. It screens in Australian cinemas starting February 5, 2026.
