Dracula Movie Critique – Luc Besson’s Romantic Reinterpretation of the Gothic Classic is Outlandish but Engaging
Perhaps there is no great enthusiasm for an updated adaptation of Dracula from Luc Besson, the filmmaker known for stylish excess. Still, it has to be said: his lavishly upholstered love story with vampires displays creativity and style – and in all its Hammer-y cheesiness, I might just favor over the recent, stately interpretation by Robert Eggers of Nosferatu. Odd details emerge, including one shot that appears to show a territorial boundary between France and Romania.
Christoph Waltz as a Humorously Exhausted Vampire-Hunting Priest
Christoph Waltz portrays a humorous yet burdened man of the church pursuing the undead – it feels natural for him to tackle this character previously – who finds himself in Paris in 1889 for the French Revolution centenary celebrations. The same goes for the sinister Dracula, played by the body-horror veteran Caleb Landry Jones using a distorted Eastern European tone similar to the voice of Gru by Steve Carell of the Despicable Me series. This character he seemed destined to play.
The Story: A Chronicle of Longing
The plot unfolds as follows: the vampire lord has been restlessly roaming the earth in torment over four centuries after his transformation into a vampire, a consequence for his irreligious grief following the loss of his spouse Elisabeta (a movie debut role for Zoë Bleu, the offspring of Rosanna Arquette). Dracula has looked tirelessly for some woman who would be the reincarnation of his lost love. Unfortunately, the chosen woman turns out to be Mina (again played by Bleu), the modest betrothed of the count’s timid estate manager, Jonathan Harker (Ewens Abid), who has recently been to the count’s castle to review his property portfolio and the small picture of the charming Mina caught the count’s hooded eye.
The Filmmaker’s Approach and Lighthearted Touch
Besson arranges Dracula’s second-act backstory of global roaming sporting extravagant attire confidently, and he doesn’t shy away from providing humorous scenes reminiscent of Mel Brooks – such as Dracula’s ongoing failed efforts to end his own life post-Elisabeta’s demise, in addition to comical sequences that occur when Dracula douses himself using a particular scent in 18th-century Florence, which makes him unavoidably attractive to females. Absurd yet engaging.
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 starting February 5, 2026.
