Dracula Review – Luc Besson’s Romantic Reimagining of the Gothic Classic is Absurd but Engaging

It’s possible there is no great enthusiasm for a fresh take of Dracula from Luc Besson, the celebrated French director for glossiness and bloat. Still, it’s worth noting: his richly designed vampire romance has ambition and panache – and amid its theatrical camp, I’m not sure I wouldn’t prefer to it to the recent, stately interpretation by Robert Eggers of Nosferatu. There are some very bizarre touches, like a particular moment that seems to depict a land border between France and Romania.

Waltz as a Clever but Weary Clergyman Hunting Vampires

Christoph Waltz embodies a clever but beleaguered cleric fighting vampires – it’s surprising he never took on this character previously – who ends up in Paris in 1889 during the centennial of the French Revolution. The same goes for the evil Count Dracula, played by the expert in grotesque roles Caleb Landry Jones speaking in a twisted regional dialect reminiscent of Steve Carell’s Gru from the Despicable Me comedies. This is a part suits him perfectly.

The Story: A Tale of Love and Loss

The story is this: the count has been restlessly roaming the world in torment for hundreds of years after his transformation into a vampire, a penalty for his irreligious grief after the passing of his spouse Elisabeta (a movie debut role for Zoë Bleu, daughter of Rosanna Arquette). the vampire has been searching, searching, searching for a lady who might be the rebirth of his departed beloved. By cruel fate, the fortunate female turns out to be Mina (portrayed once more by Bleu), the reserved future wife of Dracula’s wimpish land agent, Jonathan Harker (Ewens Abid), who lately visited to the vampire’s estate to discuss his real estate holdings 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 wearing flamboyant outfits with a sure hand, and he willingly includes offering funny bits in the style of Mel Brooks – like the vampire’s constant unsuccessful tries to commit suicide after Elisabeta’s death, in addition to comical sequences that follow Dracula applies to himself with a specific fragrance in 18th-century Florence, that renders him unavoidably attractive to females. Ridiculous and watchable.

Dracula is available digitally starting December 1st and on DVD and Blu-ray from 22 December. It will be shown in Australian cinemas starting February 5, 2026.