Dracula Review – Luc Besson’s Passionate Reinterpretation of the Timeless Gothic Tale is Outlandish but Watchable

It’s possible interest is limited for a fresh take of Dracula from Luc Besson, the filmmaker known for polished extravagance. And yet, one must admit: his richly designed love story with vampires displays creativity and style – and with its B-movie charm, I’m not sure I wouldn’t prefer over Eggers’s dignified recent take of Nosferatu. There are some very bizarre touches, including one shot that seems to depict a geographic divide between France and Romania.

Waltz as a Clever but Weary Clergyman Hunting Vampires

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 during the centennial 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 reminiscent of Steve Carell’s Gru of the Despicable Me series. This is a part suits him perfectly.

The Plot: A Saga of Heartbreak

The story is this: Dracula has been restlessly roaming the globe in torment for hundreds of years after his transformation into a vampire, a punishment for his faithless sorrow after the passing of his beloved Elisabeta (a movie debut role for Zoë Bleu, Rosanna Arquette’s child). The count has been searching, searching, searching for some woman who would be the return of his deceased partner. As ill fortune would have it, the lucky lady is revealed as Mina (portrayed once more by Bleu), the demure fiancee of Dracula’s feeble property handler, Jonathan Harker (Ewens Abid), who just traveled to the vampire’s estate to discuss his land assets and the small picture of the charming Mina attracted Dracula’s gaze.

Besson’s Direction and Lighthearted Touch

Besson arranges Dracula’s second-act backstory of worldwide travels in various outrageous costumes with a sure hand, and he willingly includes offering funny bits reminiscent of Mel Brooks – such as the count’s repeated and futile attempts to end his own life after Elisabeta’s death, as well as comical sequences that follow Dracula douses himself in a certain perfume in historic Florence, which makes him unavoidably attractive to females. Ridiculous and watchable.

Dracula is available digitally beginning on the first of December and in disc format starting the twenty-second of December. It plays in Australian cinemas beginning on the fifth of February, 2026.