Dracula Review – The French Director’s Love-Struck Reimagining of the Gothic Classic is Absurd but Watchable
Maybe there is no great enthusiasm for a new version of Dracula from Luc Besson, the filmmaker known for stylish excess. And yet, one must admit: his richly designed romantic vampire tale 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. A few strange elements appear, such as a scene that seems to depict a territorial boundary between France and Romania.
Christoph Waltz as a Humorously Exhausted Vampire-Hunting Priest
Christoph Waltz plays a humorous yet burdened vampire-hunting priest – it feels natural for him to tackle such a part earlier – who finds himself in Paris in 1889 to mark the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. So does the sinister Dracula, enacted by the seasoned horror actor Caleb Landry Jones using a distorted Eastern European tone evoking the voice of Gru by Steve Carell in the Despicable Me films. This is a part he seemed destined to play.
The Story: A Chronicle of Longing
The story is this: the vampire lord has traveled ceaselessly the globe in sorrow for 400 years after his transformation into a vampire, a punishment for his faithless sorrow following the loss of his wife, Elisabeta (a movie debut role for Zoë Bleu, the offspring of Rosanna Arquette). Dracula has been searching, searching, searching for a female who might be the rebirth of his lost love. By cruel fate, the fortunate female turns out to be Mina (portrayed once more by Bleu), the modest betrothed of the count’s timid estate manager, Jonathan Harker (played by Ewens Abid), who lately visited to Dracula’s fortress to review his real estate holdings and the small picture of the charming Mina attracted Dracula’s gaze.
The Filmmaker’s Approach and Lighthearted Touch
Besson structures Dracula’s flashback sequence of international journeys sporting extravagant attire confidently, and he is not above offering funny bits reminiscent of Mel Brooks – such as Dracula’s ongoing failed efforts to end his own life following Elisabeta’s passing, in addition to comical sequences that occur when Dracula douses himself with a specific fragrance during the 1700s in Florence, that renders him irresistible to women. Absurd yet engaging.
Dracula can be streamed online starting December 1st and for physical purchase from December 22nd. It screens in Australian cinemas from 5 February 2026.