Dracula Movie Critique – Luc Besson’s Love-Struck Revamp of the Gothic Classic is Ridiculous but Engaging
Maybe audiences aren’t clamoring for a new version of Dracula from Luc Besson, the celebrated French director for stylish excess. Still, one must admit: his opulently crafted romantic vampire tale boasts bold vision and flair – and in all its Hammer-y cheesiness, it could be preferable compared with the recent, stately interpretation by Robert Eggers of Nosferatu. A few strange elements appear, including one shot that appears to show a land border between France and Romania.
Waltz as a Humorously Exhausted Clergyman Hunting Vampires
Christoph Waltz plays a witty yet careworn man of the church pursuing the undead – it feels natural for him to tackle this character previously – who finds himself in Paris in 1889 to mark the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. Likewise present is the sinister Dracula, played by the expert in grotesque roles Caleb Landry Jones speaking in a twisted regional dialect similar to Steve Carell’s Gru of the Despicable Me series. This character that he too was born to take on.
The Story: A Saga of Heartbreak
The plot unfolds as follows: the count has traveled ceaselessly the world in sorrow for hundreds of years after his transformation into a vampire, a penalty for his faithless sorrow over the death of his spouse Elisabeta (a first film part for Zoë Bleu, the offspring of Rosanna Arquette). Dracula has been searching, searching, searching for a lady who could be the return of his departed beloved. By cruel fate, the chosen woman is revealed as Mina (again played by Bleu), the modest betrothed of Dracula’s feeble property handler, Jonathan Harker (Ewens Abid), who just traveled to the vampire’s estate to discuss his land assets and the tiny painting of the charming Mina caught the count’s hooded eye.
Besson’s Handling and Humorous Style
Besson arranges Dracula’s flashback sequence of worldwide travels sporting extravagant attire confidently, and he willingly includes offering some comedy moments with a distinctly Mel Brooks flavour – such as Dracula’s ongoing failed efforts to end his own life after Elisabeta’s death, in addition to farcical scenes that follow Dracula sprays himself in a certain perfume in 18th-century Florence, which causes him to be unavoidably attractive to females. Outlandish but entertaining.
Dracula is on digital platforms starting December 1st and for physical purchase from December 22nd. It will be shown in Australian cinemas starting February 5, 2026.
