Dracula Movie Critique – Besson’s Romantic Reinterpretation of the Gothic Classic is Ridiculous but Entertaining

It’s possible interest is limited for a fresh take of Dracula from Luc Besson, the French maestro for polished extravagance. However, one must admit: his richly designed romantic vampire tale displays creativity and style – and amid its theatrical camp, it could be preferable to it to Eggers’s dignified recent take of Nosferatu. Odd details emerge, like a particular moment that looks like it presents a geographic divide between France and Romania.

Waltz as a Humorously Exhausted Priest Tracking the Undead

Christoph Waltz plays a humorous yet burdened vampire-hunting priest – it feels natural for him to tackle such a part earlier – who ends up in Paris in 1889 for the French Revolution centenary celebrations. So does the malevolent vampire count, brought to life by the seasoned horror actor Caleb Landry Jones speaking in a twisted regional dialect evoking Steve Carell’s Gru in the Despicable Me films. This character that he too was born to take on.

The Narrative: A Saga of Heartbreak

The plot unfolds as follows: Dracula has wandered endlessly the earth in anguish for 400 years following his rise as one of the undead, a penalty due to his blasphemous mourning following the loss of his spouse Elisabeta (an inaugural screen appearance for Zoë Bleu, the offspring of Rosanna Arquette). Dracula has been searching, searching, searching for some woman who would be the return of his departed beloved. By cruel fate, the fortunate female proves to be Mina (also Bleu, of course), the demure fiancee of the count’s timid estate manager, Jonathan Harker (played by Ewens Abid), who just traveled to Dracula’s fortress to negotiate his land assets and the tiny painting of the charming Mina caught the count’s hooded eye.

The Filmmaker’s Approach and Humorous Style

Besson arranges Dracula’s flashback sequence of international journeys wearing flamboyant outfits confidently, and he doesn’t shy away from providing some comedy moments with a distinctly Mel Brooks flavour – for example the count’s repeated and futile attempts to end his own life following Elisabeta’s passing, along with farcical scenes that result after Dracula applies to himself in a certain perfume in historic Florence, which makes him compelling to the opposite sex. Absurd yet engaging.

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