Dracula Review – Luc Besson’s Romantic Reimagining of the Gothic Classic is Ridiculous but Entertaining

Maybe audiences aren’t clamoring for an updated adaptation of Dracula from Luc Besson, the celebrated French director for polished extravagance. Still, it has to be said: his opulently crafted romantic vampire tale has ambition and panache – and with its B-movie charm, it could be preferable over Robert Eggers’s recent, solemnly classy version of Nosferatu. A few strange elements appear, including one shot that looks like it presents a land border between France and Romania.

Christoph Waltz as a Clever but Weary Priest Tracking the Undead

Christoph Waltz portrays a witty yet careworn man of the church pursuing the undead – 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. The same goes for the malevolent vampire count, played by the expert in grotesque roles Caleb Landry Jones using a distorted Eastern European tone evoking 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

Here’s the premise: the vampire lord has traveled ceaselessly the world in torment over four centuries following his rise as one of the undead, a consequence for his irreligious grief following the loss of his spouse Elisabeta (a movie debut role for Zoë Bleu, daughter of Rosanna Arquette). the vampire has looked tirelessly for a female who might be the reincarnation of his lost love. As ill fortune would have it, the lucky lady turns out to be Mina (portrayed once more by Bleu), the modest betrothed of Dracula’s wimpish land agent, Jonathan Harker (Ewens Abid), who just traveled to Dracula’s fortress to negotiate his land assets and the small picture of the winsome Mina caught the count’s hooded eye.

Besson’s Direction and Humorous Style

Besson structures Dracula’s middle-section history of international journeys sporting extravagant attire skillfully, and he is not above offering some comedy moments with a distinctly Mel Brooks flavour – like the vampire’s constant unsuccessful tries to end his own life following Elisabeta’s passing, as well as absurd moments that follow Dracula applies to himself using a particular scent in historic Florence, which makes him irresistible to women. 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 plays in Australian cinemas starting February 5, 2026.