Dracula Review – Besson’s Romantic Revamp of the Timeless Gothic Tale is Ridiculous but Watchable

Perhaps audiences aren’t clamoring for a fresh take of Dracula from Luc Besson, the celebrated French director for glossiness and bloat. Still, one must admit: his opulently crafted vampire romance displays creativity and style – and amid its theatrical camp, I’m not sure I wouldn’t prefer over Robert Eggers’s recent, solemnly classy version of Nosferatu. A few strange elements appear, including one shot that appears to show a geographic divide between France and Romania.

The Veteran Actor as a Humorously Exhausted Vampire-Hunting Priest

Christoph Waltz plays a humorous yet burdened man of the church pursuing the undead – it feels natural for him to tackle such a part earlier – who arrives in Paris in 1889 for the French Revolution centenary celebrations. The same goes for the evil Count Dracula, brought to life by the body-horror veteran Caleb Landry Jones speaking in a twisted regional dialect reminiscent of Steve Carell’s Gru from the Despicable Me comedies. This is a part suits him perfectly.

The Plot: A Chronicle of Longing

The plot unfolds as follows: the vampire lord has wandered endlessly the globe in torment over four centuries since he became undead, a penalty for his faithless sorrow following the loss of his beloved Elisabeta (a movie debut role for Zoë Bleu, Rosanna Arquette’s child). Dracula has looked tirelessly for some woman who might be the return of his departed beloved. Unfortunately, the lucky lady turns out to be Mina (again played by Bleu), the demure fiancee of Dracula’s feeble property handler, Jonathan Harker (Ewens Abid), who just traveled to the count’s castle to discuss his real estate holdings and whose miniature portrait of the lovely Mina caught the count’s hooded eye.

Besson’s Direction and Lighthearted Touch

Besson arranges Dracula’s flashback sequence of international journeys wearing flamboyant outfits confidently, and he doesn’t shy away from providing humorous scenes with a distinctly Mel Brooks flavour – like the vampire’s constant unsuccessful tries to end his own life post-Elisabeta’s demise, as well as absurd moments that follow Dracula douses himself using a particular scent during the 1700s in Florence, which causes him to be irresistible to women. Ridiculous and watchable.

Dracula is on digital platforms beginning on the first of December and on DVD and Blu-ray from 22 December. It screens in Australian cinemas beginning on the fifth of February, 2026.