Dracula Movie Critique – Luc Besson’s Love-Struck Reimagining of the Gothic Classic is Absurd but Engaging
Perhaps there is no great enthusiasm for an updated adaptation of Dracula from Luc Besson, the filmmaker known for polished extravagance. And yet, it has to be said: his opulently crafted romantic vampire tale displays creativity and style – and amid its theatrical camp, I might just favor compared with the recent, stately interpretation by Robert Eggers of Nosferatu. A few strange elements appear, like a particular moment that seems to depict a land border between France and Romania.
Christoph Waltz as a Witty Yet Careworn Vampire-Hunting Priest
Christoph Waltz embodies a humorous yet burdened vampire-hunting priest – it feels natural for him to tackle this character previously – who ends up in Paris in 1889 to mark the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. The same goes for the evil Count Dracula, played by the seasoned horror actor Caleb Landry Jones with a mangled central European accent similar to Carell’s Gru character of the Despicable Me series. This is a part he seemed destined to play.
The Narrative: A Saga of Heartbreak
The story is this: Dracula has wandered endlessly the world in anguish for 400 years following his rise as one of the undead, a punishment for his irreligious grief over the death of his beloved Elisabeta (a first film part for Zoë Bleu, the offspring of Rosanna Arquette). The count has looked tirelessly for some woman who might be the rebirth of his lost love. By cruel fate, the fortunate female turns out to be Mina (also Bleu, of course), the modest betrothed of the count’s timid estate manager, Jonathan Harker (enacted by Ewens Abid), who lately visited to the vampire’s estate to review his real estate holdings and the small picture of the lovely Mina caught the count’s hooded eye.
Besson’s Direction and Humorous Style
Besson organizes Dracula’s second-act backstory of international journeys in various outrageous costumes confidently, and he doesn’t shy away from providing funny bits in the style of Mel Brooks – such as the count’s repeated and futile attempts to commit suicide following Elisabeta’s passing, as well as comical sequences that result after Dracula applies to himself using a particular scent during the 1700s in Florence, that renders him irresistible to women. Ridiculous and watchable.
Dracula is available digitally starting December 1st and on DVD and Blu-ray from December 22nd. It will be shown in Australian cinemas from 5 February 2026.
