Dracula Review – Luc Besson’s Romantic Reimagining of the Gothic Classic is Outlandish but Watchable
Perhaps interest is limited for a fresh take of Dracula from Luc Besson, the celebrated French director for polished extravagance. And yet, it has to be said: his richly designed vampire romance displays creativity and style – and in all its Hammer-y cheesiness, I’m not sure I wouldn’t prefer to it to the recent, stately interpretation by Robert Eggers of Nosferatu. Odd details emerge, including one shot that looks like it presents a land border between France and Romania.
The Veteran Actor as a Clever but Weary Clergyman Hunting Vampires
Christoph Waltz embodies a witty yet careworn vampire-hunting priest – I can’t believe he hasn’t played such a part earlier – who ends up in Paris in 1889 for the French Revolution centenary celebrations. So does the sinister Dracula, brought to life by the expert in grotesque roles Caleb Landry Jones using a distorted Eastern European tone similar to Carell’s Gru character in the Despicable Me films. This character he seemed destined to play.
The Plot: A Tale of Love and Loss
Here’s the premise: the count has traveled ceaselessly the globe in torment for hundreds of years after his transformation into a vampire, a penalty due to his blasphemous mourning following the loss of his beloved Elisabeta (a first film part for Zoë Bleu, Rosanna Arquette’s child). the vampire has been searching, searching, searching for a female who could be the return of his deceased partner. By cruel fate, the lucky lady is revealed as Mina (again played by Bleu), the demure fiancee of Dracula’s feeble property handler, Jonathan Harker (played by Ewens Abid), who lately visited to Dracula’s fortress to discuss his land assets and the tiny painting of the lovely Mina attracted Dracula’s gaze.
The Filmmaker’s Approach and Lighthearted Touch
Besson structures Dracula’s flashback sequence of global roaming wearing flamboyant outfits with a sure hand, and he is not above giving us humorous scenes in the style of Mel Brooks – like the vampire’s constant unsuccessful tries to commit suicide following Elisabeta’s passing, along with absurd moments that occur when Dracula sprays himself using a particular scent in 18th-century Florence, which causes him to be compelling to the opposite sex. Outlandish but entertaining.
Dracula is available digitally starting December 1st and in disc format starting the twenty-second of December. It plays in Australian cinemas starting February 5, 2026.
