Dracula Review – Besson’s Passionate Reinterpretation of the Gothic Classic is Ridiculous but Engaging
It’s possible audiences aren’t clamoring for a fresh take of Dracula from Luc Besson, the French maestro for glossiness and bloat. Still, one must admit: his lavishly upholstered love story with vampires displays creativity and style – and amid its theatrical camp, I might just favor compared with Robert Eggers’s recent, solemnly classy version of Nosferatu. Odd details emerge, such as a scene that looks like it presents a territorial boundary between France and Romania.
The Veteran Actor as a Humorously Exhausted Priest Tracking the Undead
Christoph Waltz portrays a humorous yet burdened vampire-hunting priest – it feels natural for him to tackle this character previously – who finds himself in Paris in 1889 to mark the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. So does the malevolent vampire count, enacted by the seasoned horror actor Caleb Landry Jones speaking in a twisted regional dialect reminiscent of Carell’s Gru character in the Despicable Me films. This character that he too was born to take on.
The Narrative: A Saga of Heartbreak
The story is this: the vampire lord has been restlessly roaming the earth in sorrow for 400 years following his rise as one of the undead, a punishment for his faithless sorrow following the loss of his spouse Elisabeta (a first film part for Zoë Bleu, Rosanna Arquette’s child). the vampire has sought relentlessly for a female who might be the reincarnation of his departed beloved. Unfortunately, the chosen woman turns out to be Mina (portrayed once more by Bleu), the demure fiancee of Dracula’s feeble property handler, Jonathan Harker (played by Ewens Abid), who just traveled to the count’s castle to review his property portfolio and the small picture of the winsome Mina caught the count’s hooded eye.
Besson’s Direction and Comic Flair
Besson structures Dracula’s second-act backstory of international journeys wearing flamboyant outfits confidently, and he is not above giving us some comedy moments 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 farcical scenes that follow Dracula applies to himself with a specific fragrance in historic Florence, which makes him compelling to the opposite sex. Outlandish but entertaining.
Dracula is available digitally beginning on the first of December and for physical purchase from 22 December. It will be shown in Australian cinemas starting February 5, 2026.
