Dracula Review – Luc Besson’s Romantic Reinterpretation of the Classic Horror Story is Absurd but Entertaining
It’s possible interest is limited for a fresh take of Dracula from Luc Besson, the celebrated French director for glossiness and bloat. Still, one must admit: his opulently crafted vampire romance displays creativity and style – and with its B-movie charm, it could be preferable over Robert Eggers’s recent, solemnly classy version of Nosferatu. There are some very bizarre touches, including one shot that looks like it presents a geographic divide between France and Romania.
Waltz as a Humorously Exhausted Priest Tracking the Undead
Christoph Waltz portrays a witty yet careworn man of the church pursuing the undead – I can’t believe he hasn’t played such a part earlier – who finds himself in Paris in 1889 during the centennial of the French Revolution. The same goes for the malevolent vampire count, played by the body-horror veteran Caleb Landry Jones using a distorted Eastern European tone similar to Steve Carell’s Gru from the Despicable Me comedies. This character that he too was born to take on.
The Plot: A Tale of Love and Loss
The plot unfolds as follows: the count has been restlessly roaming the world in anguish for 400 years following his rise as one of the undead, a punishment for his irreligious grief over the death of his wife, Elisabeta (a first film part for Zoë Bleu, daughter of Rosanna Arquette). The count has been searching, searching, searching for a female who could be the rebirth of his departed beloved. As ill fortune would have it, the fortunate female is revealed as Mina (portrayed once more by Bleu), the reserved future wife of Dracula’s wimpish land agent, Jonathan Harker (Ewens Abid), who has recently been to Dracula’s fortress to review his land assets and the tiny painting of the winsome Mina caught the count’s hooded eye.
Besson’s Direction and Lighthearted Touch
Besson structures Dracula’s middle-section history of worldwide travels sporting extravagant attire skillfully, and he is not above offering humorous scenes with a distinctly Mel Brooks flavour – for example Dracula’s ongoing failed efforts to end his own life after Elisabeta’s death, along with absurd moments that occur when Dracula applies to himself in a certain perfume during the 1700s in Florence, that renders him compelling to the opposite sex. Outlandish but entertaining.
Dracula is on digital platforms beginning on the first of December and on DVD and Blu-ray from December 22nd. It screens in Australian cinemas from 5 February 2026.
