Dracula Review – Luc Besson’s Romantic Reinterpretation of the Gothic Classic is Ridiculous but Entertaining

It’s possible interest is limited for a fresh take of Dracula from Luc Besson, the French maestro for stylish excess. And yet, it’s worth noting: his richly designed love story with vampires has ambition and panache – and with its B-movie charm, I might just favor compared with the recent, stately interpretation by Robert Eggers of Nosferatu. There are some very bizarre touches, such as a scene that appears to show a land border between France and Romania.

The Veteran Actor as a Witty Yet Careworn Clergyman Hunting Vampires

Christoph Waltz portrays a witty yet careworn vampire-hunting priest – it feels natural for him to tackle this character previously – who ends up in Paris in 1889 to mark the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. The same goes for the sinister Dracula, enacted by the body-horror veteran Caleb Landry Jones using a distorted Eastern European tone reminiscent of Carell’s Gru character from the Despicable Me comedies. This character that he too was born to take on.

The Story: A Saga of Heartbreak

The story is this: the count has wandered endlessly the globe in anguish for 400 years since he became undead, a punishment for his irreligious grief over the death of his beloved Elisabeta (an inaugural screen appearance for Zoë Bleu, the offspring of Rosanna Arquette). the vampire has sought relentlessly for a female who could be the return of his lost love. As ill fortune would have it, the fortunate female is revealed as Mina (again played by Bleu), the demure fiancee of the count’s timid estate manager, Jonathan Harker (enacted by Ewens Abid), who just traveled to Dracula’s fortress to review his real estate holdings and the tiny painting of the lovely Mina drew the vampire’s attention.

The Filmmaker’s Approach and Humorous Style

Besson arranges Dracula’s flashback sequence of worldwide travels sporting extravagant attire confidently, and he doesn’t shy away from offering some comedy moments in the style of Mel Brooks – for example the vampire’s constant unsuccessful tries to end his own life following Elisabeta’s passing, as well as farcical scenes that occur when Dracula applies to himself in a certain perfume during the 1700s in Florence, that renders him irresistible to women. Absurd yet engaging.

Dracula can be streamed online from 1 December and for physical purchase from 22 December. It screens in Australian cinemas from 5 February 2026.