Dracula Review – Besson’s Passionate Reimagining of the Gothic Classic is Ridiculous but Engaging
Maybe interest is limited for a fresh take of Dracula from Luc Besson, the filmmaker known for glossiness and bloat. And yet, one must admit: his opulently crafted vampire romance displays creativity and style – and with its B-movie charm, I might just favor compared with Eggers’s dignified recent take of Nosferatu. There are some very bizarre touches, like a particular moment that seems to depict a geographic divide between France and Romania.
Christoph Waltz as a Witty Yet Careworn Priest Tracking the Undead
Christoph Waltz embodies a clever but beleaguered cleric fighting vampires – 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 sinister Dracula, played by the body-horror veteran Caleb Landry Jones using a distorted Eastern European tone evoking Carell’s Gru character of the Despicable Me series. This is a part suits him perfectly.
The Plot: A Chronicle of Longing
The plot unfolds as follows: the count has been restlessly roaming the earth in sorrow over four centuries since he became undead, a punishment for his irreligious grief following the loss of his beloved Elisabeta (an inaugural screen appearance for Zoë Bleu, daughter of Rosanna Arquette). The count has been searching, searching, searching for a lady who would be the return of his lost love. By cruel fate, the fortunate female proves to be Mina (also Bleu, of course), the reserved future wife of the count’s timid estate manager, Jonathan Harker (Ewens Abid), who just traveled to the count’s castle to review his land assets and the tiny painting of the charming Mina attracted Dracula’s gaze.
The Filmmaker’s Approach and Comic Flair
Besson arranges Dracula’s flashback sequence of worldwide travels sporting extravagant attire confidently, and he willingly includes offering humorous scenes reminiscent of Mel Brooks – such as the vampire’s constant unsuccessful tries to commit suicide after Elisabeta’s death, in addition to absurd moments that occur when Dracula applies to himself in a certain perfume during the 1700s in Florence, which makes him unavoidably attractive to females. Outlandish but entertaining.
Dracula is on digital platforms starting December 1st and on DVD and Blu-ray starting the twenty-second of December. It screens in Australian cinemas from 5 February 2026.
