Dracula Review – Luc Besson’s Love-Struck Reimagining of the Timeless Gothic Tale is Absurd but Engaging

It’s possible audiences aren’t clamoring for a fresh take of Dracula from Luc Besson, the filmmaker known for polished extravagance. However, one must admit: his lavishly upholstered love story with vampires displays creativity and style – and amid its theatrical camp, it could be preferable to it to the recent, stately interpretation by Robert Eggers of Nosferatu. There are some very bizarre touches, like a particular moment that seems to depict a territorial boundary between France and Romania.

Waltz as a Humorously Exhausted Vampire-Hunting Priest

Christoph Waltz plays a clever but beleaguered cleric fighting vampires – I can’t believe he hasn’t played this character previously – who ends up in Paris in 1889 to mark the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. The same goes for the malevolent vampire count, enacted by the body-horror veteran Caleb Landry Jones using a distorted Eastern European tone reminiscent of Carell’s Gru character in the Despicable Me films. It’s a role that he too was born to take on.

The Narrative: A Saga of Heartbreak

The story is this: the count has traveled ceaselessly the globe in torment over four centuries since he became undead, a punishment for his irreligious grief over the death of his wife, Elisabeta (an inaugural screen appearance for Zoë Bleu, daughter of Rosanna Arquette). Dracula has looked tirelessly for some woman who would be the reincarnation of his departed beloved. By cruel fate, the lucky lady turns out to be Mina (portrayed once more by Bleu), the reserved future wife of Dracula’s wimpish land agent, Jonathan Harker (enacted by Ewens Abid), who has recently been to Dracula’s fortress to review his property portfolio and the tiny painting of the winsome Mina attracted Dracula’s gaze.

Besson’s Handling and Humorous Style

Besson organizes Dracula’s second-act backstory of international journeys sporting extravagant attire with a sure hand, and he doesn’t shy away from providing funny bits in the style of Mel Brooks – like the count’s repeated and futile attempts to commit suicide post-Elisabeta’s demise, along with absurd moments that result after Dracula sprays himself in a certain perfume in historic Florence, which makes him compelling to the opposite sex. Absurd yet engaging.

Dracula is on digital platforms starting December 1st and for physical purchase from 22 December. It will be shown in Australian cinemas beginning on the fifth of February, 2026.