Dracula Movie Critique – The French Director’s Romantic Reimagining of the Timeless Gothic Tale is Absurd but Entertaining
Maybe audiences aren’t clamoring for an updated adaptation of Dracula from Luc Besson, the filmmaker known for polished extravagance. And yet, one must admit: his richly designed romantic vampire tale has ambition and panache – and in all its Hammer-y cheesiness, I’m not sure I wouldn’t prefer over the recent, stately interpretation by Robert Eggers of Nosferatu. There are some very bizarre touches, including one shot that appears to show a geographic divide between France and Romania.
The Veteran Actor as a Witty Yet Careworn Priest Tracking the Undead
Christoph Waltz plays a clever but beleaguered vampire-hunting priest – it feels natural for him to tackle this role before – who ends up in Paris in 1889 to mark the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. Likewise present is the malevolent vampire count, brought to life by the body-horror veteran Caleb Landry Jones speaking in a twisted regional dialect similar to Carell’s Gru character from the Despicable Me comedies. It’s a role he seemed destined to play.
The Story: A Chronicle of Longing
The story is this: the vampire lord has been restlessly roaming the globe in sorrow for 400 years following his rise as one of the undead, a penalty for his irreligious grief following the loss of his spouse Elisabeta (a first film part for Zoë Bleu, Rosanna Arquette’s child). The count has been searching, searching, searching for some woman who would be the reincarnation of his departed beloved. Unfortunately, the chosen woman is revealed as Mina (portrayed once more by Bleu), the demure fiancee of Dracula’s feeble property handler, Jonathan Harker (enacted by Ewens Abid), who just traveled to the vampire’s estate to review his property portfolio and the tiny painting of the charming Mina attracted Dracula’s gaze.
Besson’s Direction and Humorous Style
Besson organizes Dracula’s second-act backstory of global roaming in various outrageous costumes skillfully, and he willingly includes providing some comedy moments in the style of Mel Brooks – such as the count’s repeated and futile attempts to kill himself post-Elisabeta’s demise, in addition to farcical scenes that follow Dracula sprays himself with a specific fragrance in historic Florence, which causes him to be irresistible to women. Ridiculous and watchable.
Dracula is available digitally starting December 1st and in disc format from 22 December. It screens in Australian cinemas from 5 February 2026.