Dracula Review – Luc Besson’s Passionate Reinterpretation of the Timeless Gothic Tale is Ridiculous but Engaging

It’s possible there is no great enthusiasm for an updated adaptation of Dracula from Luc Besson, the celebrated French director for stylish excess. Still, one must admit: his lavishly upholstered love story with vampires boasts bold vision and flair – and amid its theatrical camp, I might just favor over Eggers’s dignified recent take of Nosferatu. A few strange elements appear, such as a scene that appears to show a territorial boundary between France and Romania.

The Veteran Actor as a Clever but Weary Vampire-Hunting Priest

Christoph Waltz embodies a clever but beleaguered vampire-hunting priest – it feels natural for him to tackle such a part earlier – who ends up in Paris in 1889 for the French Revolution centenary celebrations. The same goes for the malevolent vampire count, brought to life by the expert in grotesque roles Caleb Landry Jones using a distorted Eastern European tone evoking Carell’s Gru character of the Despicable Me series. It’s a role he seemed destined to play.

The Narrative: A Tale of Love and Loss

Here’s the premise: the count has been restlessly roaming the earth in anguish for 400 years following his rise as one of the undead, a consequence for his faithless sorrow after the passing of his wife, Elisabeta (an inaugural screen appearance for Zoë Bleu, the offspring of Rosanna Arquette). the vampire has been searching, searching, searching for a lady who could be the rebirth of his departed beloved. As ill fortune would have it, the fortunate female turns out to be Mina (portrayed once more by Bleu), the modest betrothed of Dracula’s feeble property handler, Jonathan Harker (enacted by Ewens Abid), who lately visited to the count’s castle to discuss his real estate holdings and whose miniature portrait of the winsome Mina caught the count’s hooded eye.

Besson’s Direction and Humorous Style

Besson arranges Dracula’s middle-section history of international journeys wearing flamboyant outfits skillfully, and he willingly includes providing humorous scenes with a distinctly Mel Brooks flavour – such as Dracula’s ongoing failed efforts to commit suicide after Elisabeta’s death, in addition to absurd moments that follow Dracula sprays himself with a specific fragrance in historic Florence, which makes him irresistible to women. Absurd yet engaging.

Dracula can be streamed online starting December 1st and in disc format from 22 December. It will be shown in Australian cinemas beginning on the fifth of February, 2026.