Dracula Review – Luc Besson’s Passionate Revamp of the Gothic Classic is Ridiculous but Entertaining
It’s possible audiences aren’t clamoring for an updated adaptation of Dracula from Luc Besson, the French maestro for stylish excess. And yet, it’s worth noting: his opulently crafted love story with vampires displays creativity and style – and in all its Hammer-y cheesiness, I’m not sure I wouldn’t prefer over Robert Eggers’s recent, solemnly classy version of Nosferatu. Odd details emerge, like a particular moment that seems to depict a land border between France and Romania.
Waltz as a Witty Yet Careworn Priest Tracking the Undead
Christoph Waltz portrays a witty yet careworn vampire-hunting priest – I can’t believe he hasn’t played such a part earlier – who finds himself in Paris in 1889 to mark the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. Likewise present is the sinister Dracula, brought to life by the body-horror veteran Caleb Landry Jones using a distorted Eastern European tone evoking the voice of Gru by Steve Carell of the Despicable Me series. This is a part that he too was born to take on.
The Story: A Chronicle of Longing
The plot unfolds as follows: the vampire lord has been restlessly roaming the earth in sorrow for 400 years after his transformation into a vampire, a penalty due to his blasphemous mourning after the passing of his wife, Elisabeta (a movie debut role for Zoë Bleu, Rosanna Arquette’s child). Dracula has been searching, searching, searching for a female who would be the reincarnation of his deceased partner. By cruel fate, the chosen woman is revealed as Mina (also Bleu, of course), the modest betrothed of Dracula’s wimpish land agent, Jonathan Harker (enacted by Ewens Abid), who has recently been to the count’s castle to review his property portfolio and the tiny painting of the lovely Mina attracted Dracula’s gaze.
The Filmmaker’s Approach and Humorous Style
Besson arranges Dracula’s flashback sequence of global roaming in various outrageous costumes skillfully, and he doesn’t shy away from providing some comedy moments with a distinctly Mel Brooks flavour – for example Dracula’s ongoing failed efforts to kill himself after Elisabeta’s death, in addition to comical sequences that occur when Dracula sprays himself using a particular scent in historic Florence, which causes him to be compelling to the opposite sex. Absurd yet engaging.
Dracula is on digital platforms from 1 December and for physical purchase starting the twenty-second of December. It will be shown in Australian cinemas starting February 5, 2026.
