Dracula Movie Critique – Luc Besson’s Passionate Revamp of the Gothic Classic is Absurd but Watchable

Maybe interest is limited for a fresh take of Dracula from Luc Besson, the French maestro for polished extravagance. And yet, one must admit: his opulently crafted love story with vampires displays creativity and style – and in all its Hammer-y cheesiness, I’m not sure I wouldn’t prefer over Robert Eggers’s recent, solemnly classy version of Nosferatu. A few strange elements appear, such as a scene that appears to show a territorial boundary between France and Romania.

Christoph Waltz as a Humorously Exhausted Clergyman Hunting Vampires

Christoph Waltz portrays a clever but beleaguered man of the church pursuing the undead – it’s surprising he never took on such a part earlier – who ends up in Paris in 1889 during the centennial of the French Revolution. The same goes for the evil Count Dracula, brought to life by the body-horror veteran Caleb Landry Jones speaking in a twisted regional dialect reminiscent of Steve Carell’s Gru in the Despicable Me films. This character suits him perfectly.

The Plot: A Saga of Heartbreak

Here’s the premise: the vampire lord has been restlessly roaming the globe in sorrow for 400 years since he became undead, a penalty due to his blasphemous mourning over the death of his wife, Elisabeta (a first film part for Zoë Bleu, the offspring of Rosanna Arquette). Dracula has sought relentlessly for a female who would be the return of his departed beloved. Unfortunately, the fortunate female turns out to be Mina (portrayed once more by Bleu), the reserved future wife of Dracula’s wimpish land agent, Jonathan Harker (Ewens Abid), who has recently been to the count’s castle to negotiate his land assets and whose miniature portrait of the winsome Mina attracted Dracula’s gaze.

Besson’s Handling and Comic Flair

Besson arranges Dracula’s flashback sequence of international journeys wearing flamboyant outfits with a sure hand, and he is not above providing humorous scenes with a distinctly Mel Brooks flavour – such as Dracula’s ongoing failed efforts to kill himself after Elisabeta’s death, along with absurd moments that occur when Dracula sprays himself in a certain perfume in 18th-century Florence, which makes him irresistible to women. Ridiculous and watchable.

Dracula can be streamed online starting December 1st and for physical purchase starting the twenty-second of December. It plays in Australian cinemas starting February 5, 2026.