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

It’s possible there is no great enthusiasm for a new version of Dracula from Luc Besson, the filmmaker known for stylish excess. And yet, it has to be said: his lavishly upholstered love story with vampires has ambition and panache – and amid its theatrical camp, it could be preferable to it to Robert Eggers’s recent, solemnly classy version of Nosferatu. A few strange elements appear, such as a scene that appears to show a geographic divide between France and Romania.

Waltz as a Witty Yet Careworn Priest Tracking the Undead

Christoph Waltz plays a witty yet careworn cleric fighting vampires – I can’t believe he hasn’t played such a part earlier – who arrives in Paris in 1889 for the French Revolution centenary celebrations. So does the sinister Dracula, played by the expert in grotesque roles Caleb Landry Jones speaking in a twisted regional dialect reminiscent of Carell’s Gru character in the Despicable Me films. This character suits him perfectly.

The Story: A Saga of Heartbreak

The plot unfolds as follows: Dracula has wandered endlessly the world in anguish for hundreds of years since he became undead, a punishment for his faithless sorrow over the death of his beloved Elisabeta (an inaugural screen appearance for Zoë Bleu, Rosanna Arquette’s child). the vampire has looked tirelessly for a female who could be the return of his lost love. By cruel fate, the lucky lady turns out to be Mina (portrayed once more by Bleu), the reserved future wife of the count’s timid estate manager, Jonathan Harker (Ewens Abid), who lately visited to the count’s castle to review his real estate holdings and the tiny painting of the lovely Mina drew the vampire’s attention.

The Filmmaker’s Approach and Comic Flair

Besson organizes Dracula’s second-act backstory of worldwide travels sporting extravagant attire with a sure hand, and he doesn’t shy away from offering humorous scenes with a distinctly Mel Brooks flavour – such as the count’s repeated and futile attempts to kill himself following Elisabeta’s passing, along with comical sequences that result after Dracula applies to himself with a specific fragrance during the 1700s in Florence, which makes him compelling to the opposite sex. Ridiculous and watchable.

Dracula is on digital platforms beginning on the first of December and for physical purchase from 22 December. It screens in Australian cinemas from 5 February 2026.