Dracula Movie Critique – Besson’s Passionate Reimagining of the Timeless Gothic Tale is Absurd but Entertaining

Maybe there is no great enthusiasm for a new version of Dracula from Luc Besson, the filmmaker known for stylish excess. However, one must admit: his richly designed vampire romance has ambition and panache – and amid its theatrical camp, it could be preferable over the recent, stately interpretation by Robert Eggers of Nosferatu. Odd details emerge, like a particular moment that seems to depict a land border between France and Romania.

The Veteran Actor as a Humorously Exhausted Vampire-Hunting Priest

Christoph Waltz portrays a clever but beleaguered man of the church pursuing the undead – it’s surprising he never took on this character previously – who finds himself in Paris in 1889 to mark the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. Likewise present is the sinister Dracula, brought to life by the body-horror veteran Caleb Landry Jones speaking in a twisted regional dialect reminiscent of Steve Carell’s Gru of the Despicable Me series. It’s a role that he too was born to take on.

The Narrative: A Chronicle of Longing

Here’s the premise: Dracula has wandered endlessly the world in torment for 400 years following his rise as one of the undead, a consequence for his irreligious grief following the loss of his spouse Elisabeta (an inaugural screen appearance for Zoë Bleu, the offspring of Rosanna Arquette). Dracula has sought relentlessly for a lady who would be the return of his departed beloved. By cruel fate, the fortunate female proves to be Mina (portrayed once more by Bleu), the reserved future wife of Dracula’s feeble property handler, Jonathan Harker (Ewens Abid), who has recently been to the count’s castle to negotiate his real estate holdings and the small picture of the charming Mina attracted Dracula’s gaze.

The Filmmaker’s Approach and Humorous Style

Besson structures Dracula’s middle-section history of worldwide travels in various outrageous costumes skillfully, and he willingly includes offering some comedy moments with a distinctly Mel Brooks flavour – like the count’s repeated and futile attempts to kill himself post-Elisabeta’s demise, along with absurd moments that occur when Dracula applies to himself in a certain perfume in 18th-century Florence, that renders him irresistible to women. Absurd yet engaging.

Dracula is available digitally starting December 1st and in disc format starting the twenty-second of December. It will be shown in Australian cinemas beginning on the fifth of February, 2026.