Dracula Review – Besson’s Passionate Revamp of the Timeless Gothic Tale is Outlandish but Engaging

Maybe interest is limited for a fresh take of Dracula from Luc Besson, the filmmaker known for polished extravagance. Still, it has to be said: his opulently crafted romantic vampire tale displays creativity and style – and with its B-movie charm, it could be preferable compared with the recent, stately interpretation by Robert Eggers of Nosferatu. A few strange elements appear, such as a scene that looks like it presents a land border between France and Romania.

The Veteran Actor as a Clever but Weary Clergyman Hunting Vampires

Christoph Waltz plays a humorous yet burdened vampire-hunting priest – I can’t believe he hasn’t played this role before – who finds himself in Paris in 1889 to mark the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. Likewise present is the evil Count Dracula, enacted by the seasoned horror actor Caleb Landry Jones speaking in a twisted regional dialect reminiscent of the voice of Gru by Steve Carell of the Despicable Me series. This character suits him perfectly.

The Story: A Saga of Heartbreak

The story is this: Dracula has been restlessly roaming the earth in sorrow over four centuries since he became undead, a penalty due to his blasphemous mourning over the death of his beloved Elisabeta (a first film part for Zoë Bleu, daughter of Rosanna Arquette). Dracula has been searching, searching, searching for a female who might be the rebirth of his lost love. As ill fortune would have it, the lucky lady proves to be Mina (again played by Bleu), the demure fiancee of the count’s timid estate manager, Jonathan Harker (played by Ewens Abid), who lately visited to the count’s castle to review his land assets and the tiny painting of the winsome Mina drew the vampire’s attention.

Besson’s Direction and Comic Flair

Besson structures Dracula’s second-act backstory of global roaming in various outrageous costumes with a sure hand, and he doesn’t shy away from providing funny bits with a distinctly Mel Brooks flavour – such as Dracula’s ongoing failed efforts to commit suicide post-Elisabeta’s demise, in addition to farcical scenes that occur when Dracula douses himself using a particular scent in historic Florence, which makes him irresistible to women. Outlandish but entertaining.

Dracula can be streamed online beginning on the first of December and on DVD and Blu-ray from 22 December. It plays in Australian cinemas from 5 February 2026.