Dracula Review – Besson’s Romantic Reimagining of the Timeless Gothic Tale is Ridiculous but Engaging

Maybe interest is limited for a new version of Dracula from Luc Besson, the celebrated French director for stylish excess. And yet, one must admit: his lavishly upholstered vampire romance boasts bold vision and flair – and amid its theatrical camp, it could be preferable over Eggers’s dignified recent take of Nosferatu. Odd details emerge, including one shot that looks like it presents a territorial boundary between France and Romania.

Christoph Waltz as a Humorously Exhausted Vampire-Hunting Priest

Christoph Waltz portrays a clever but beleaguered man of the church pursuing the undead – it’s surprising he never took on this character previously – who arrives in Paris in 1889 during the centennial of the French Revolution. The same goes for the sinister Dracula, brought to life by the body-horror veteran Caleb Landry Jones using a distorted Eastern European tone reminiscent of the voice of Gru by Steve Carell of the Despicable Me series. This is a part that he too was born to take on.

The Narrative: A Chronicle of Longing

The plot unfolds as follows: the count has wandered endlessly the world in torment over four centuries after his transformation into a vampire, a consequence for his faithless sorrow after the passing of his wife, Elisabeta (a movie debut role for Zoë Bleu, daughter of Rosanna Arquette). The count has looked tirelessly for some woman who might be the rebirth of his deceased partner. By cruel fate, the fortunate female turns out to be Mina (again played by Bleu), the demure fiancee of Dracula’s wimpish land agent, Jonathan Harker (enacted by Ewens Abid), who just traveled to Dracula’s fortress to discuss his property portfolio and the tiny painting of the charming Mina caught the count’s hooded eye.

Besson’s Direction and Lighthearted Touch

Besson arranges Dracula’s flashback sequence of global roaming wearing flamboyant outfits skillfully, and he doesn’t shy away from providing humorous scenes in the style of Mel Brooks – such as Dracula’s ongoing failed efforts to kill himself after Elisabeta’s death, along with farcical scenes that follow Dracula douses himself with a specific fragrance in 18th-century Florence, which makes him irresistible to women. Outlandish but entertaining.

Dracula is available digitally from 1 December and for physical purchase starting the twenty-second of December. It will be shown in Australian cinemas starting February 5, 2026.