Dracula Review – Besson’s Love-Struck Revamp of the Gothic Classic is Outlandish but Entertaining
It’s possible audiences aren’t clamoring for a fresh take of Dracula from Luc Besson, the celebrated French director for glossiness and bloat. However, one must admit: his lavishly upholstered romantic vampire tale displays creativity and style – and in all its Hammer-y cheesiness, it could be preferable over Robert Eggers’s recent, solemnly classy version of Nosferatu. Odd details emerge, including one shot that seems to depict a geographic divide between France and Romania.
Waltz as a Clever but Weary Clergyman Hunting Vampires
Christoph Waltz portrays a humorous yet burdened vampire-hunting priest – it feels natural for him to tackle this character previously – who finds himself in Paris in 1889 for the French Revolution centenary celebrations. So does the malevolent vampire count, enacted by the expert in grotesque roles Caleb Landry Jones speaking in a twisted regional dialect evoking the voice of Gru by Steve Carell of the Despicable Me series. This character that he too was born to take on.
The Story: A Tale of Love and Loss
The story is this: the vampire lord has wandered endlessly the world in sorrow for 400 years following his rise as one of the undead, a penalty due to his blasphemous mourning after the passing of his beloved Elisabeta (a movie debut role for Zoë Bleu, the offspring of Rosanna Arquette). Dracula has sought relentlessly for a lady who would be the reincarnation of his departed beloved. Unfortunately, the lucky lady is revealed as Mina (also Bleu, of course), the demure fiancee of the count’s timid estate manager, 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 charming Mina drew the vampire’s attention.
The Filmmaker’s Approach and Lighthearted Touch
Besson structures Dracula’s second-act backstory of international journeys in various outrageous costumes with a sure hand, and he willingly includes providing humorous scenes in the style of Mel Brooks – like the count’s repeated and futile attempts to kill himself post-Elisabeta’s demise, along with absurd moments that follow Dracula douses himself using a particular scent in 18th-century Florence, that renders him irresistible to women. Absurd yet engaging.
Dracula is on digital platforms from 1 December and in disc format from 22 December. It screens in Australian cinemas starting February 5, 2026.
