Dracula Review – Besson’s Love-Struck Revamp of the Timeless Gothic Tale is Absurd but Entertaining

It’s possible audiences aren’t clamoring for an updated adaptation of Dracula from Luc Besson, the filmmaker known for glossiness and bloat. And yet, one must admit: his opulently crafted love story with vampires boasts bold vision and flair – and amid its theatrical camp, I might just favor compared with Robert Eggers’s recent, solemnly classy version of Nosferatu. Odd details emerge, like a particular moment that appears to show a territorial boundary between France and Romania.

Christoph Waltz as a Clever but Weary Priest Tracking the Undead

Christoph Waltz embodies a clever but beleaguered man of the church pursuing the undead – I can’t believe he hasn’t played this role before – who arrives in Paris in 1889 during the centennial of the French Revolution. So does the evil Count Dracula, played by the expert in grotesque roles Caleb Landry Jones speaking in a twisted regional dialect evoking Steve Carell’s Gru of the Despicable Me series. This character suits him perfectly.

The Story: A Saga of Heartbreak

The plot unfolds as follows: the vampire lord has traveled ceaselessly the globe in anguish over four centuries following his rise as one of the undead, a penalty for his faithless sorrow following the loss of his beloved Elisabeta (a movie debut role for Zoë Bleu, the offspring of Rosanna Arquette). the vampire has been searching, searching, searching for a female who could be the rebirth of his deceased partner. By cruel fate, the lucky lady is revealed as Mina (also Bleu, of course), the demure fiancee of the count’s timid estate manager, Jonathan Harker (played by Ewens Abid), who just traveled to the count’s castle to review his property portfolio and the tiny painting of the winsome Mina drew the vampire’s attention.

The Filmmaker’s Approach and Humorous Style

Besson structures Dracula’s second-act backstory of global roaming sporting extravagant attire with a sure hand, and he is not above providing funny bits in the style of Mel Brooks – for example the vampire’s constant unsuccessful tries to commit suicide after Elisabeta’s death, along with farcical scenes that follow Dracula sprays himself using a particular scent in 18th-century Florence, that renders him irresistible to women. Ridiculous and watchable.

Dracula is on digital platforms starting December 1st and in disc format starting the twenty-second of December. It plays in Australian cinemas starting February 5, 2026.