Dracula Review – The French Director’s Love-Struck Reimagining of the Classic Horror Story is Absurd but Watchable
It’s possible audiences aren’t clamoring for a fresh take of Dracula from Luc Besson, the filmmaker known for glossiness and bloat. However, one must admit: his lavishly upholstered romantic vampire tale boasts bold vision and flair – and in all its Hammer-y cheesiness, I might just favor over Robert Eggers’s recent, solemnly classy version of Nosferatu. There are some very bizarre touches, such as a scene that looks like it presents a geographic divide between France and Romania.
Waltz as a Witty Yet Careworn Clergyman Hunting Vampires
Christoph Waltz plays a clever but beleaguered man of the church pursuing the undead – it’s surprising he never took on this role before – who arrives in Paris in 1889 for the French Revolution centenary celebrations. Likewise present is the evil Count Dracula, brought to life by the expert in grotesque roles Caleb Landry Jones with a mangled central European accent similar to Steve Carell’s Gru from the Despicable Me comedies. This is a part suits him perfectly.
The Plot: A Chronicle of Longing
The story is this: the vampire lord has wandered endlessly the earth in sorrow over four centuries since he became undead, a consequence for his irreligious grief over the death of his spouse Elisabeta (an inaugural screen appearance for Zoë Bleu, daughter of Rosanna Arquette). Dracula has been searching, searching, searching for a female who could be the reincarnation of his lost love. By cruel fate, the chosen woman turns out to be Mina (also Bleu, of course), the modest betrothed of Dracula’s feeble property handler, Jonathan Harker (Ewens Abid), who just traveled to the count’s castle to discuss his real estate holdings and the tiny painting of the charming Mina drew the vampire’s attention.
The Filmmaker’s Approach and Comic Flair
Besson arranges Dracula’s second-act backstory of worldwide travels in various outrageous costumes with a sure hand, and he is not above providing humorous scenes in the style of Mel Brooks – like the vampire’s constant unsuccessful tries to commit suicide post-Elisabeta’s demise, along with absurd moments that result after Dracula applies to himself using a particular scent in 18th-century Florence, which makes him compelling to the opposite sex. Ridiculous and watchable.
Dracula is on digital platforms beginning on the first of December and on DVD and Blu-ray from 22 December. It plays in Australian cinemas beginning on the fifth of February, 2026.
