Dracula Movie Critique – Besson’s Passionate Reimagining of the Gothic Classic is Ridiculous but Watchable

Perhaps interest is limited for a fresh take of Dracula from Luc Besson, the celebrated French director for stylish excess. And yet, one must admit: his opulently crafted romantic vampire tale displays creativity and style – and amid its theatrical camp, I’m not sure I wouldn’t prefer to it to Eggers’s dignified recent take of Nosferatu. A few strange elements appear, like a particular moment that seems to depict a territorial boundary between France and Romania.

Waltz as a Clever but Weary Clergyman Hunting Vampires

Christoph Waltz portrays a humorous yet burdened vampire-hunting priest – I can’t believe he hasn’t played this character previously – who arrives in Paris in 1889 for the French Revolution centenary celebrations. So does the malevolent vampire count, played by the body-horror veteran Caleb Landry Jones using a distorted Eastern European tone similar to Steve Carell’s Gru in the Despicable Me films. It’s a role that he too was born to take on.

The Plot: A Saga of Heartbreak

The plot unfolds as follows: Dracula has traveled ceaselessly the earth in torment for hundreds of years after his transformation into a vampire, a penalty due to his blasphemous mourning over the death of his wife, Elisabeta (a first film part for Zoë Bleu, daughter of Rosanna Arquette). Dracula has looked tirelessly for a lady who might be the reincarnation of his lost love. Unfortunately, the lucky lady proves to be Mina (also Bleu, of course), the reserved future wife of Dracula’s feeble property handler, Jonathan Harker (Ewens Abid), who just traveled to the count’s castle to negotiate his property portfolio and the tiny painting of the lovely Mina drew the vampire’s attention.

Besson’s Handling and Comic Flair

Besson arranges Dracula’s middle-section history of worldwide travels wearing flamboyant outfits confidently, and he doesn’t shy away from providing some comedy moments in the style of Mel Brooks – such as the vampire’s constant unsuccessful tries to kill himself following Elisabeta’s passing, in addition to farcical scenes that result after Dracula applies to himself in a certain perfume in historic Florence, which causes him to be compelling to the opposite sex. Absurd yet engaging.

Dracula is available digitally starting December 1st and in disc format from December 22nd. It will be shown in Australian cinemas starting February 5, 2026.