Dracula Review – The French Director’s Passionate Reinterpretation of the Timeless Gothic Tale is Ridiculous but Entertaining

It’s possible there is no great enthusiasm for a new version of Dracula from Luc Besson, the filmmaker known for glossiness and bloat. And yet, it’s worth noting: his richly designed romantic vampire tale boasts bold vision and flair – and amid its theatrical camp, it could be preferable compared with Robert Eggers’s recent, solemnly classy version of Nosferatu. There are some very bizarre touches, such as a scene that seems to depict a land border between France and Romania.

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

Christoph Waltz portrays a witty yet careworn man of the church pursuing the undead – I can’t believe he hasn’t played this role before – who finds himself in Paris in 1889 during the centennial of the French Revolution. So does the evil Count Dracula, played by the body-horror veteran Caleb Landry Jones using a distorted Eastern European tone reminiscent of Steve Carell’s Gru in the Despicable Me films. It’s a role suits him perfectly.

The Plot: A Chronicle of Longing

The plot unfolds as follows: the count has traveled ceaselessly the earth in sorrow for hundreds of years after his transformation into a vampire, a punishment for his irreligious grief following the loss of his spouse Elisabeta (an inaugural screen appearance for Zoë Bleu, Rosanna Arquette’s child). The count has sought relentlessly for a female who might be the rebirth of his deceased partner. Unfortunately, the fortunate female is revealed as Mina (also Bleu, of course), the reserved future wife of Dracula’s wimpish land agent, Jonathan Harker (Ewens Abid), who lately visited to Dracula’s fortress to negotiate his real estate holdings and whose miniature portrait of the winsome Mina attracted Dracula’s gaze.

The Filmmaker’s Approach and Comic Flair

Besson arranges Dracula’s flashback sequence of worldwide travels wearing flamboyant outfits skillfully, and he is not above giving us humorous scenes reminiscent of Mel Brooks – such as the vampire’s constant unsuccessful tries to kill himself after Elisabeta’s death, along with absurd moments that result after Dracula douses himself using a particular scent in historic Florence, that renders him compelling to the opposite sex. Ridiculous and watchable.

Dracula is on digital platforms starting December 1st and in disc format starting the twenty-second of December. It plays in Australian cinemas from 5 February 2026.