Dracula Review – Luc Besson’s Love-Struck Reinterpretation of the Timeless Gothic Tale is Absurd but Watchable

Perhaps there is no great enthusiasm for a new version of Dracula from Luc Besson, the celebrated French director for stylish excess. And yet, one must admit: his richly designed vampire romance has ambition and panache – and with its B-movie charm, I’m not sure I wouldn’t prefer compared with 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.

Waltz as a Witty Yet Careworn Clergyman Hunting Vampires

Christoph Waltz portrays a witty yet careworn man of the church pursuing the undead – it’s surprising he never took on this character previously – who arrives in Paris in 1889 for the French Revolution centenary celebrations. The same goes for the malevolent vampire count, brought to life by the body-horror veteran Caleb Landry Jones with a mangled central European accent evoking the voice of Gru by Steve Carell of the Despicable Me series. This character he seemed destined to play.

The Story: A Saga of Heartbreak

Here’s the premise: the vampire lord has traveled ceaselessly the globe in torment for 400 years since he became undead, a consequence for his faithless sorrow after the passing of his beloved Elisabeta (a first film part for Zoë Bleu, Rosanna Arquette’s child). The count has looked tirelessly for a female who could be the reincarnation of his deceased partner. Unfortunately, the fortunate female is revealed as Mina (also Bleu, of course), the reserved future wife of Dracula’s feeble property handler, Jonathan Harker (played by Ewens Abid), who has recently been to the vampire’s estate to discuss his real estate holdings and the small picture of the lovely Mina drew the vampire’s attention.

Besson’s Handling and Humorous Style

Besson arranges Dracula’s second-act backstory of worldwide travels sporting extravagant attire confidently, and he doesn’t shy away from giving us funny bits with a distinctly Mel Brooks flavour – for example the vampire’s constant unsuccessful tries to commit suicide after Elisabeta’s death, in addition to comical sequences that occur when Dracula applies to himself using a particular scent in 18th-century Florence, which causes him to be irresistible to women. Absurd yet engaging.

Dracula is available digitally from 1 December and on DVD and Blu-ray from December 22nd. It will be shown in Australian cinemas beginning on the fifth of February, 2026.