Dracula Review – Besson’s Passionate Reinterpretation of the Gothic Classic is Outlandish but Watchable
Perhaps there is no great enthusiasm for a fresh take of Dracula from Luc Besson, the celebrated French director for glossiness and bloat. And yet, it’s worth noting: his opulently crafted vampire romance 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. Odd details emerge, such as a scene that looks like it presents a land border between France and Romania.
Christoph Waltz as a Humorously Exhausted Clergyman Hunting Vampires
Christoph Waltz plays a clever but beleaguered cleric fighting vampires – I can’t believe he hasn’t played this role before – who ends up in Paris in 1889 during the centennial of the French Revolution. Likewise present is the sinister Dracula, brought to life by the expert in grotesque roles Caleb Landry Jones using a distorted Eastern European tone evoking Carell’s Gru character of the Despicable Me series. This is a part suits him perfectly.
The Narrative: A Saga of Heartbreak
The story is this: Dracula has wandered endlessly the world in anguish for hundreds of years following his rise as one of the undead, a punishment for his irreligious grief after the passing of his spouse Elisabeta (a first film part for Zoë Bleu, the offspring of Rosanna Arquette). The count has been searching, searching, searching for a female who would be the reincarnation of his lost love. By cruel fate, the chosen woman is revealed as Mina (also Bleu, of course), the reserved future wife of Dracula’s wimpish land agent, Jonathan Harker (Ewens Abid), who lately visited to the vampire’s estate to review his real estate holdings and the small picture of the charming Mina attracted Dracula’s gaze.
Besson’s Direction and Lighthearted Touch
Besson arranges Dracula’s second-act backstory of international journeys wearing flamboyant outfits confidently, and he doesn’t shy away from offering some comedy moments in the style of Mel Brooks – such as the vampire’s constant unsuccessful tries to commit suicide after Elisabeta’s death, along with farcical scenes that occur when Dracula applies to himself using a particular scent in historic Florence, that renders him compelling to the opposite sex. Ridiculous and watchable.
Dracula is available digitally from 1 December and on DVD and Blu-ray from December 22nd. It plays in Australian cinemas starting February 5, 2026.
