Dracula Review – Luc Besson’s Love-Struck Reimagining of the Timeless Gothic Tale is Outlandish but Watchable

Perhaps interest is limited for a fresh take of Dracula from Luc Besson, the French maestro for stylish excess. However, it has to be said: his opulently crafted love story with vampires has ambition and panache – and with its B-movie charm, I’m not sure I wouldn’t prefer over Robert Eggers’s recent, solemnly classy version of Nosferatu. A few strange elements appear, such as a scene that appears to show a land border between France and Romania.

The Veteran Actor as a Witty Yet Careworn Vampire-Hunting Priest

Christoph Waltz portrays a clever but beleaguered 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. So does the malevolent vampire count, played by the expert in grotesque roles Caleb Landry Jones speaking in a twisted regional dialect similar to Steve Carell’s Gru from the Despicable Me comedies. This is a part suits him perfectly.

The Story: A Saga of Heartbreak

The plot unfolds as follows: the vampire lord has traveled ceaselessly the globe in anguish for hundreds of years following his rise as one of the undead, a punishment due to his blasphemous mourning after the passing of his spouse Elisabeta (an inaugural screen appearance for Zoë Bleu, Rosanna Arquette’s child). Dracula has looked tirelessly for some woman who would be the return of his deceased partner. Unfortunately, the fortunate female proves to be Mina (portrayed once more by Bleu), the modest betrothed of Dracula’s feeble property handler, Jonathan Harker (Ewens Abid), who just traveled to the count’s castle to review his real estate holdings and whose miniature portrait of the lovely Mina caught the count’s hooded eye.

Besson’s Handling and Lighthearted Touch

Besson structures Dracula’s middle-section history of worldwide travels wearing flamboyant outfits confidently, and he is not above giving us funny bits in the style of Mel Brooks – such as the vampire’s constant unsuccessful tries to kill himself following Elisabeta’s passing, as well as absurd moments that occur when Dracula applies to himself with a specific fragrance during the 1700s in Florence, which causes him to be irresistible to women. Ridiculous and watchable.

Dracula can be streamed online from 1 December and for physical purchase starting the twenty-second of December. It will be shown in Australian cinemas beginning on the fifth of February, 2026.