Dracula Review – Luc Besson’s Love-Struck Reinterpretation of the Gothic Classic is Absurd but Entertaining

Maybe audiences aren’t clamoring for a new version of Dracula from Luc Besson, the filmmaker known for glossiness and bloat. However, it’s worth noting: his richly designed romantic vampire tale displays creativity and style – and in all its Hammer-y cheesiness, I might just favor compared with Eggers’s dignified recent take of Nosferatu. There are some very bizarre touches, like a particular moment that seems to depict a territorial boundary between France and Romania.

The Veteran Actor as a Humorously Exhausted Priest Tracking the Undead

Christoph Waltz portrays a clever but beleaguered vampire-hunting priest – it feels natural for him to tackle such a part earlier – who arrives in Paris in 1889 to mark the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. The same goes for the sinister Dracula, brought to life by the seasoned horror actor Caleb Landry Jones speaking in a twisted regional dialect reminiscent of Steve Carell’s Gru of the Despicable Me series. It’s a role suits him perfectly.

The Plot: A Saga of Heartbreak

The story is this: the vampire lord has wandered endlessly the earth in torment over four centuries since he became undead, a punishment for his faithless sorrow following the loss of his beloved Elisabeta (a movie debut role for Zoë Bleu, daughter of Rosanna Arquette). The count has been searching, searching, searching for a lady who could be the rebirth of his departed beloved. By cruel fate, the lucky lady turns out to be Mina (again played by Bleu), the demure fiancee of the count’s timid estate manager, Jonathan Harker (Ewens Abid), who just traveled to the count’s castle to review his land assets and the tiny painting of the lovely Mina drew the vampire’s attention.

Besson’s Direction and Humorous Style

Besson arranges Dracula’s middle-section history of international journeys wearing flamboyant outfits with a sure hand, and he willingly includes giving us some comedy moments in the style of Mel Brooks – such as the vampire’s constant unsuccessful tries to end his own life after Elisabeta’s death, along with farcical scenes that result after Dracula applies to himself using a particular scent during the 1700s in Florence, which makes him compelling to the opposite sex. Ridiculous and watchable.

Dracula can be streamed online from 1 December and for physical purchase starting the twenty-second of December. It will be shown in Australian cinemas beginning on the fifth of February, 2026.