Dracula Review – Luc Besson’s Romantic Reinterpretation of the Classic Horror Story is Absurd but Entertaining

Maybe audiences aren’t clamoring for an updated adaptation of Dracula from Luc Besson, the filmmaker known for stylish excess. Still, one must admit: his richly designed vampire romance has ambition and panache – and in all its Hammer-y cheesiness, I’m not sure I wouldn’t prefer to it to Robert Eggers’s recent, solemnly classy version of Nosferatu. A few strange elements appear, including one shot that appears to show a land border between France and Romania.

Waltz as a Clever but Weary Priest Tracking the Undead

Christoph Waltz portrays a humorous yet burdened cleric fighting vampires – it feels natural for him to tackle this role before – who arrives in Paris in 1889 during the centennial of the French Revolution. The same goes for the sinister Dracula, enacted by the expert in grotesque roles Caleb Landry Jones with a mangled central European accent reminiscent of the voice of Gru by Steve Carell in the Despicable Me films. This is a part he seemed destined to play.

The Plot: A Saga of Heartbreak

The story is this: the vampire lord has traveled ceaselessly the world in torment for 400 years since he became undead, a punishment due to his blasphemous mourning following the loss of his beloved Elisabeta (a movie debut role for Zoë Bleu, daughter of Rosanna Arquette). the vampire has sought relentlessly for a lady who might be the reincarnation of his lost love. As ill fortune would have it, the chosen woman turns out to be Mina (again played by Bleu), the reserved future wife of the count’s timid estate manager, Jonathan Harker (Ewens Abid), who just traveled to Dracula’s fortress to discuss his property portfolio and the tiny painting of the winsome Mina caught the count’s hooded eye.

The Filmmaker’s Approach and Comic Flair

Besson organizes Dracula’s second-act backstory of international journeys in various outrageous costumes confidently, and he willingly includes providing some comedy moments reminiscent of Mel Brooks – such as Dracula’s ongoing failed efforts to kill himself post-Elisabeta’s demise, in addition to comical sequences that result after Dracula douses himself with a specific fragrance during the 1700s in Florence, that renders him irresistible to women. Outlandish but entertaining.

Dracula is available digitally beginning on the first of December and in disc format from December 22nd. It will be shown in Australian cinemas starting February 5, 2026.