Dracula Review – Besson’s Romantic Reinterpretation of the Timeless Gothic Tale is Outlandish but Engaging

Maybe audiences aren’t clamoring for a new version of Dracula from Luc Besson, the celebrated French director for stylish excess. However, it has to be said: his opulently crafted love story with vampires boasts bold vision and flair – and in all its Hammer-y cheesiness, I’m not sure I wouldn’t prefer to it to Eggers’s dignified recent take 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 Clever but Weary Vampire-Hunting Priest

Christoph Waltz embodies a humorous yet burdened vampire-hunting priest – it feels natural for him to tackle this role before – who finds himself in Paris in 1889 to mark the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. Likewise present is the sinister Dracula, played by the seasoned horror actor Caleb Landry Jones with a mangled central European accent reminiscent of Carell’s Gru character from the Despicable Me comedies. It’s a role suits him perfectly.

The Story: A Tale of Love and Loss

The plot unfolds as follows: the count has wandered endlessly the globe in sorrow over four centuries after his transformation into a vampire, a punishment for his faithless sorrow following the loss of his beloved Elisabeta (an inaugural screen appearance for Zoë Bleu, Rosanna Arquette’s child). The count has looked tirelessly for some woman who would be the return of his departed beloved. Unfortunately, the chosen woman proves to be Mina (again played by Bleu), the reserved future wife of Dracula’s wimpish land agent, Jonathan Harker (played by Ewens Abid), who just traveled to the vampire’s estate to review his real estate holdings and the tiny painting of the lovely Mina caught the count’s hooded eye.

Besson’s Handling and Humorous Style

Besson structures Dracula’s middle-section history of international journeys in various outrageous costumes with a sure hand, and he willingly includes providing funny bits reminiscent of Mel Brooks – such as the vampire’s constant unsuccessful tries to kill himself following Elisabeta’s passing, as well as farcical scenes that follow Dracula applies to himself in a certain perfume in 18th-century Florence, which causes him to be unavoidably attractive to females. Ridiculous and watchable.

Dracula is available digitally beginning on the first of December and in disc format from December 22nd. It will be shown in Australian cinemas starting February 5, 2026.