Dracula Review – Luc Besson’s Romantic Revamp of the Timeless Gothic Tale is Ridiculous but Entertaining

Maybe interest is limited for a fresh take of Dracula from Luc Besson, the French maestro for stylish excess. Still, it has to be said: his lavishly upholstered love story with vampires displays creativity and style – and amid its theatrical camp, it could be preferable to it to Eggers’s dignified recent take of Nosferatu. A few strange elements appear, such as a scene that looks like it presents a geographic divide between France and Romania.

The Veteran Actor as a Witty Yet Careworn Priest Tracking the Undead

Christoph Waltz portrays a humorous yet burdened vampire-hunting priest – it’s surprising he never took on this role before – who finds himself 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 speaking in a twisted regional dialect evoking Carell’s Gru character in the Despicable Me films. It’s a role suits him perfectly.

The Plot: A Chronicle of Longing

Here’s the premise: the count has been restlessly roaming the globe in sorrow for hundreds of years following his rise as one of the undead, a penalty for his irreligious grief after the passing of his wife, Elisabeta (a movie debut role for Zoë Bleu, daughter of Rosanna Arquette). The count has been searching, searching, searching for a lady who might be the reincarnation of his departed beloved. Unfortunately, the chosen woman turns out to be Mina (again played 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 discuss his land assets and the tiny painting of the lovely Mina caught the count’s hooded eye.

Besson’s Direction and Humorous Style

Besson organizes Dracula’s second-act backstory of worldwide travels wearing flamboyant outfits confidently, and he willingly includes providing funny bits reminiscent of Mel Brooks – such as the vampire’s constant unsuccessful tries to commit suicide post-Elisabeta’s demise, along with absurd moments that follow Dracula applies to himself in a certain perfume in historic Florence, that renders him unavoidably attractive to females. Absurd yet engaging.

Dracula is available digitally beginning on the first of December and on DVD and Blu-ray starting the twenty-second of December. It will be shown in Australian cinemas from 5 February 2026.