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 fresh take of Dracula from Luc Besson, the filmmaker known for polished extravagance. However, it’s worth noting: his lavishly upholstered love story with vampires displays creativity and style – and in all its Hammer-y cheesiness, I’m not sure I wouldn’t prefer to it to Eggers’s dignified recent take of Nosferatu. A few strange elements appear, like a particular moment that seems to depict a land border between France and Romania.
Christoph Waltz as a Humorously Exhausted Clergyman Hunting Vampires
Christoph Waltz plays a clever but beleaguered cleric fighting vampires – it feels natural for him to tackle this role before – who ends up in Paris in 1889 during the centennial of the French Revolution. Likewise present is the sinister Dracula, brought to life by the body-horror veteran Caleb Landry Jones with a mangled central European accent evoking Steve Carell’s Gru from the Despicable Me comedies. This is a part he seemed destined to play.
The Narrative: A Chronicle of Longing
The plot unfolds as follows: the vampire lord has wandered endlessly the globe in sorrow over four centuries since he became undead, a punishment for his faithless sorrow over the death of his spouse Elisabeta (an inaugural screen appearance for Zoë Bleu, Rosanna Arquette’s child). the vampire has sought relentlessly for a female who might be the reincarnation of his departed beloved. Unfortunately, the chosen woman proves to be Mina (portrayed once more by Bleu), the demure fiancee of Dracula’s feeble property handler, Jonathan Harker (enacted by Ewens Abid), who has recently been to the count’s castle to discuss his real estate holdings and whose miniature portrait of the lovely Mina attracted Dracula’s gaze.
Besson’s Direction and Comic Flair
Besson arranges Dracula’s flashback sequence of worldwide travels sporting extravagant attire skillfully, and he doesn’t shy away from providing humorous scenes with a distinctly Mel Brooks flavour – for example the vampire’s constant unsuccessful tries to end his own life post-Elisabeta’s demise, along with comical sequences that result after Dracula sprays himself using a particular scent in historic Florence, which causes him to be irresistible to women. Ridiculous and watchable.
Dracula is available digitally starting December 1st and for physical purchase from December 22nd. It will be shown in Australian cinemas from 5 February 2026.
