Dracula Review – Besson’s Romantic Revamp of the Gothic Classic is Outlandish but Engaging

Perhaps interest is limited for a fresh take of Dracula from Luc Besson, the French maestro for glossiness and bloat. However, it has to be said: his richly designed vampire romance has ambition and panache – and with its B-movie charm, it could be preferable over the recent, stately interpretation by Robert Eggers of Nosferatu. A few strange elements appear, such as a scene that seems to depict a territorial boundary between France and Romania.

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

Christoph Waltz plays 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 during the centennial of the French Revolution. Likewise present is the sinister Dracula, enacted by the expert in grotesque roles Caleb Landry Jones using a distorted Eastern European tone similar to Carell’s Gru character of the Despicable Me series. It’s a role he seemed destined to play.

The Plot: A Tale of Love and Loss

Here’s the premise: the vampire lord has wandered endlessly the world in sorrow over four centuries since he became undead, a punishment for his faithless sorrow over the death of his wife, Elisabeta (a first film part for Zoë Bleu, daughter of Rosanna Arquette). The count has sought relentlessly for some woman who would be the return of his departed beloved. Unfortunately, the lucky lady turns out to be Mina (again played by Bleu), the reserved future wife of Dracula’s wimpish land agent, Jonathan Harker (enacted by Ewens Abid), who lately visited to the vampire’s estate to negotiate his real estate holdings and the tiny painting of the charming Mina caught the count’s hooded eye.

Besson’s Direction and Humorous Style

Besson arranges Dracula’s flashback sequence of worldwide travels sporting extravagant attire skillfully, and he willingly includes offering 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 douses himself with a specific fragrance in historic Florence, which causes him to be unavoidably attractive to females. Outlandish but entertaining.

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