Dracula Review – Luc Besson’s Passionate Reinterpretation of the Gothic Classic is Absurd but Engaging
Perhaps there is no great enthusiasm for a fresh take of Dracula from Luc Besson, the celebrated French director for stylish excess. Still, one must admit: his lavishly upholstered romantic vampire tale boasts bold vision and flair – and amid its theatrical camp, I might just favor to it to the recent, stately interpretation by Robert Eggers of Nosferatu. There are some very bizarre touches, including one shot that appears to show a geographic divide between France and Romania.
Waltz as a Witty Yet Careworn Priest Tracking the Undead
Christoph Waltz portrays 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 to mark the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. So does the sinister Dracula, enacted by the body-horror veteran Caleb Landry Jones speaking in a twisted regional dialect similar to Carell’s Gru character in the Despicable Me films. This character he seemed destined to play.
The Story: A Chronicle of Longing
The plot unfolds as follows: the count has been restlessly roaming the globe in anguish for 400 years since he became undead, a punishment for his irreligious grief 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 lady who could be the rebirth of his lost love. Unfortunately, the fortunate female is revealed as Mina (also Bleu, of course), the reserved future wife of Dracula’s feeble property handler, Jonathan Harker (played by Ewens Abid), who has recently been to the vampire’s estate to review his property portfolio and the tiny painting of the lovely Mina drew the vampire’s attention.
The Filmmaker’s Approach and Humorous Style
Besson structures Dracula’s middle-section history of international journeys sporting extravagant attire with a sure hand, and he willingly includes offering some comedy moments in the style of Mel Brooks – such as Dracula’s ongoing failed efforts to commit suicide following Elisabeta’s passing, in addition to farcical scenes that follow Dracula applies to himself in a certain perfume in 18th-century Florence, which causes him to be irresistible to women. Outlandish but entertaining.
Dracula is on digital platforms beginning on the first of December and on DVD and Blu-ray starting the twenty-second of December. It will be shown in Australian cinemas from 5 February 2026.
