Dracula Review – The French Director’s Love-Struck Reimagining of the Gothic Classic is Absurd but Entertaining

Maybe audiences aren’t clamoring for a fresh take of Dracula from Luc Besson, the filmmaker known for stylish excess. And yet, it’s worth noting: his richly designed love story with vampires has ambition and panache – and amid its theatrical camp, I might just favor compared with Eggers’s dignified recent take of Nosferatu. Odd details emerge, such as a scene that appears to show a geographic divide between France and Romania.

Waltz as a Clever but Weary Clergyman Hunting Vampires

Christoph Waltz portrays a witty yet careworn man of the church pursuing the undead – I can’t believe he hasn’t played this role before – who arrives in Paris in 1889 for the French Revolution centenary celebrations. So does the malevolent vampire count, enacted by the body-horror veteran Caleb Landry Jones using a distorted Eastern European tone similar to Carell’s Gru character of the Despicable Me series. This is a part suits him perfectly.

The Plot: A Chronicle of Longing

Here’s the premise: Dracula has been restlessly roaming the earth in anguish for 400 years after his transformation into a vampire, a consequence for his faithless sorrow over the death of his wife, Elisabeta (an inaugural screen appearance for Zoë Bleu, daughter of Rosanna Arquette). the vampire has looked tirelessly for some woman who could be the rebirth of his deceased partner. By cruel fate, the lucky lady turns out to be Mina (portrayed once more by Bleu), the modest betrothed of Dracula’s wimpish land agent, Jonathan Harker (played by Ewens Abid), who just traveled to the vampire’s estate to discuss his land assets and the small picture of the lovely Mina caught the count’s hooded eye.

The Filmmaker’s Approach and Lighthearted Touch

Besson arranges Dracula’s middle-section history of international journeys in various outrageous costumes confidently, and he willingly includes providing humorous scenes reminiscent of Mel Brooks – such as the count’s repeated and futile attempts to commit suicide following Elisabeta’s passing, along with comical sequences that result after Dracula sprays himself in a certain perfume in historic Florence, which causes him to be irresistible to women. Ridiculous and watchable.

Dracula is available digitally starting December 1st and for physical purchase starting the twenty-second of December. It will be shown in Australian cinemas starting February 5, 2026.