Dracula Review – Luc Besson’s Passionate Revamp of the Gothic Classic is Absurd but Watchable
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 love story with vampires displays creativity and style – and with its B-movie charm, I might just favor to it to Eggers’s dignified recent take of Nosferatu. A few strange elements appear, including one shot that seems to depict a territorial boundary between France and Romania.
The Veteran Actor as a Humorously Exhausted Clergyman Hunting Vampires
Christoph Waltz plays a witty yet careworn man of the church pursuing the undead – it feels natural for him to tackle this role before – who arrives in Paris in 1889 to mark the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. Likewise present is the evil Count Dracula, brought to life by the seasoned horror actor Caleb Landry Jones speaking in a twisted regional dialect reminiscent of Carell’s Gru character of the Despicable Me series. This is a part suits him perfectly.
The Story: A Tale of Love and Loss
The plot unfolds as follows: the count has traveled ceaselessly the earth in sorrow over four centuries since he became undead, a penalty due to his blasphemous mourning following the loss of his beloved Elisabeta (a movie debut role for Zoë Bleu, daughter of Rosanna Arquette). the vampire has looked tirelessly for some woman who would be the rebirth of his departed beloved. As ill fortune would have it, the chosen woman turns out to be Mina (again played by Bleu), the modest betrothed of Dracula’s wimpish land agent, Jonathan Harker (enacted by Ewens Abid), who has recently been to the vampire’s estate to discuss his land assets and the tiny painting of the winsome Mina caught the count’s hooded eye.
Besson’s Handling and Lighthearted Touch
Besson structures Dracula’s middle-section history of international journeys sporting extravagant attire skillfully, and he is not above providing humorous scenes with a distinctly Mel Brooks flavour – such as Dracula’s ongoing failed efforts to commit suicide post-Elisabeta’s demise, along with absurd moments that follow Dracula douses himself using a particular scent in 18th-century Florence, which causes him to be compelling to the opposite sex. Absurd yet engaging.
Dracula is on digital platforms starting December 1st and for physical purchase from 22 December. It screens in Australian cinemas from 5 February 2026.
