Dracula Review – The French Director’s Passionate Revamp of the Gothic Classic is Ridiculous but Engaging

Maybe interest is limited for a new version of Dracula from Luc Besson, the filmmaker known for glossiness and bloat. However, it’s worth noting: his opulently crafted vampire romance boasts bold vision and flair – and amid its theatrical camp, I’m not sure I wouldn’t prefer to it to Eggers’s dignified recent take of Nosferatu. Odd details emerge, such as a scene that looks like it presents a geographic divide between France and Romania.

The Veteran Actor as a Witty Yet Careworn Priest Tracking the Undead

Christoph Waltz portrays a humorous yet burdened man of the church pursuing the undead – it feels natural for him to tackle this role before – who ends up in Paris in 1889 to mark the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. The same goes for the malevolent vampire count, enacted by the body-horror veteran Caleb Landry Jones using a distorted Eastern European tone similar to the voice of Gru by Steve Carell in the Despicable Me films. This character he seemed destined to play.

The Narrative: A Tale of Love and Loss

The plot unfolds as follows: Dracula has been restlessly roaming the globe in sorrow over four centuries since he became undead, a punishment for his faithless sorrow after the passing of his wife, Elisabeta (an inaugural screen appearance for Zoë Bleu, the offspring of Rosanna Arquette). the vampire has looked tirelessly for a female who might be the rebirth of his deceased partner. As ill fortune would have it, the fortunate female turns out to be Mina (also Bleu, of course), the modest betrothed of Dracula’s wimpish land agent, Jonathan Harker (enacted by Ewens Abid), who has recently been to the count’s castle to discuss his real estate holdings and whose miniature portrait of the charming Mina caught the count’s hooded eye.

Besson’s Direction and Lighthearted Touch

Besson arranges Dracula’s second-act backstory of worldwide travels in various outrageous costumes skillfully, and he doesn’t shy away from providing funny bits reminiscent of Mel Brooks – such as the vampire’s constant unsuccessful tries to end his own life post-Elisabeta’s demise, in addition to absurd moments that occur when Dracula sprays himself using a particular scent in 18th-century Florence, that renders him irresistible to women. Absurd yet engaging.

Dracula can be streamed online from 1 December and in disc format from 22 December. It plays in Australian cinemas starting February 5, 2026.