Dracula Review – Luc Besson’s Passionate Revamp of the Timeless Gothic Tale is Absurd but Watchable

It’s possible there is no great enthusiasm for a fresh take of Dracula from Luc Besson, the French maestro for glossiness and bloat. However, it has to be said: his lavishly upholstered romantic vampire tale displays creativity and style – and with its B-movie charm, I might just favor over Eggers’s dignified recent take of Nosferatu. A few strange elements appear, including one shot that appears to show a geographic divide between France and Romania.

Waltz as a Witty Yet Careworn Clergyman Hunting Vampires

Christoph Waltz portrays a humorous yet burdened vampire-hunting priest – I can’t believe he hasn’t played this character previously – who arrives in Paris in 1889 during the centennial of the French Revolution. Likewise present is the evil Count Dracula, brought to life by the expert in grotesque roles Caleb Landry Jones with a mangled central European accent evoking the voice of Gru by Steve Carell from the Despicable Me comedies. It’s a role he seemed destined to play.

The Story: A Chronicle of Longing

The plot unfolds as follows: the count has been restlessly roaming the world in torment over four centuries since he became undead, a punishment due to his blasphemous mourning after the passing of his wife, Elisabeta (a first film part for Zoë Bleu, the offspring of Rosanna Arquette). The count has looked tirelessly for some woman who might be the reincarnation of his departed beloved. Unfortunately, the lucky lady turns out to be Mina (again played by Bleu), the reserved future wife of the count’s timid estate manager, Jonathan Harker (enacted by Ewens Abid), who lately visited to Dracula’s fortress to negotiate his property portfolio and whose miniature portrait of the charming Mina drew the vampire’s attention.

Besson’s Handling and Humorous Style

Besson organizes Dracula’s middle-section history of worldwide travels wearing flamboyant outfits skillfully, and he willingly includes offering some comedy moments with a distinctly Mel Brooks flavour – for example the vampire’s constant unsuccessful tries to end his own life post-Elisabeta’s demise, in addition to comical sequences that occur when Dracula applies to himself with a specific fragrance in historic Florence, that renders him compelling to the opposite sex. Absurd yet engaging.

Dracula is available digitally from 1 December and in disc format starting the twenty-second of December. It plays in Australian cinemas from 5 February 2026.