Dracula Review – Luc Besson’s Passionate Revamp of the Gothic Classic is Absurd but Watchable
Maybe interest is limited for a new version of Dracula from Luc Besson, the celebrated French director for glossiness and bloat. Still, one must admit: his richly designed love story with vampires displays creativity and style – and with its B-movie charm, I might just favor compared with Robert Eggers’s recent, solemnly classy version of Nosferatu. There are some very bizarre touches, including one shot that seems to depict a territorial boundary between France and Romania.
Christoph Waltz as a Witty Yet Careworn Priest Tracking the Undead
Christoph Waltz plays a witty yet careworn man of the church pursuing the undead – it feels natural for him to tackle this role before – who arrives in Paris in 1889 for the French Revolution centenary celebrations. The same goes for the malevolent vampire count, enacted by the seasoned horror actor Caleb Landry Jones using a distorted Eastern European tone similar to the voice of Gru by Steve Carell in the Despicable Me films. This is a part he seemed destined to play.
The Narrative: A Chronicle of Longing
The plot unfolds as follows: the count has been restlessly roaming the world in torment for 400 years after his transformation into a vampire, a punishment for his irreligious grief after the passing of his wife, Elisabeta (a movie debut role for Zoë Bleu, daughter of Rosanna Arquette). Dracula has looked tirelessly for some woman who could be the return of his lost love. Unfortunately, the fortunate female is revealed as Mina (portrayed once more by Bleu), the demure fiancee of the count’s timid estate manager, Jonathan Harker (played by Ewens Abid), who has recently been to the vampire’s estate to negotiate his land assets and whose miniature portrait of the lovely Mina caught the count’s hooded eye.
Besson’s Handling and Humorous Style
Besson arranges Dracula’s second-act backstory of global roaming in various outrageous costumes with a sure hand, and he willingly includes offering funny bits in the style of Mel Brooks – for example the count’s repeated and futile attempts to commit suicide following Elisabeta’s passing, along with farcical scenes that result after Dracula sprays himself using a particular scent in historic Florence, which makes him irresistible to women. Ridiculous and watchable.
Dracula can be streamed online beginning on the first of December and on DVD and Blu-ray from December 22nd. It plays in Australian cinemas from 5 February 2026.
