Dracula Movie Critique – Luc Besson’s Romantic Reimagining of the Gothic Classic is Ridiculous but Watchable

Perhaps interest is limited for an updated adaptation of Dracula from Luc Besson, the celebrated French director for glossiness and bloat. Still, one must admit: his richly designed romantic vampire tale boasts bold vision and flair – and in all its Hammer-y cheesiness, it could be preferable over Robert Eggers’s recent, solemnly classy version of Nosferatu. A few strange elements appear, like a particular moment that looks like it presents a geographic divide between France and Romania.

Christoph Waltz as a Witty Yet Careworn Priest Tracking the Undead

Christoph Waltz portrays a witty yet careworn vampire-hunting priest – it’s surprising he never took on this character previously – who ends up in Paris in 1889 for the French Revolution centenary celebrations. Likewise present is the sinister Dracula, played by the seasoned horror actor Caleb Landry Jones with a mangled central European accent reminiscent of Steve Carell’s Gru of the Despicable Me series. This is a part that he too was born to take on.

The Story: A Tale of Love and Loss

The story is this: the vampire lord 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 after the passing of his wife, Elisabeta (a first film part for Zoë Bleu, daughter of Rosanna Arquette). The count has been searching, searching, searching for a female who might be the rebirth of his deceased partner. As ill fortune would have it, the chosen woman is revealed as Mina (portrayed once more by Bleu), the demure fiancee of Dracula’s feeble property handler, Jonathan Harker (played by Ewens Abid), who lately visited to the vampire’s estate to discuss his property portfolio and whose miniature portrait of the charming Mina drew the vampire’s attention.

Besson’s Direction and Humorous Style

Besson structures Dracula’s second-act backstory of global roaming in various outrageous costumes with a sure hand, and he doesn’t shy away from offering funny bits with a distinctly Mel Brooks flavour – like the vampire’s constant unsuccessful tries to end his own life following Elisabeta’s passing, as well as absurd moments that occur when Dracula douses himself in a certain perfume during the 1700s in Florence, that renders him compelling to the opposite sex. Outlandish but entertaining.

Dracula is available digitally starting December 1st and on DVD and Blu-ray starting the twenty-second of December. It screens in Australian cinemas starting February 5, 2026.