Dracula Movie Critique – Besson’s Romantic Reinterpretation of the Classic Horror Story is Outlandish but Engaging

It’s possible interest is limited for a fresh take of Dracula from Luc Besson, the French maestro for stylish excess. Still, it’s worth noting: his opulently crafted vampire romance displays creativity and style – and in all its Hammer-y cheesiness, it could be preferable compared with Eggers’s dignified recent take of Nosferatu. A few strange elements appear, such as a scene that looks like it presents a land border between France and Romania.

Waltz as a Humorously Exhausted Vampire-Hunting Priest

Christoph Waltz embodies a witty yet careworn cleric fighting vampires – it feels natural for him to tackle this role before – who finds himself in Paris in 1889 to mark the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. The same goes for the evil Count Dracula, played by the expert in grotesque roles Caleb Landry Jones using a distorted Eastern European tone similar to Steve Carell’s Gru in the Despicable Me films. This is a part suits him perfectly.

The Plot: A Chronicle of Longing

Here’s the premise: the vampire lord has traveled ceaselessly the earth in sorrow over four centuries since he became undead, a punishment due to his blasphemous mourning after the passing of his spouse Elisabeta (a movie debut role for Zoë Bleu, daughter of Rosanna Arquette). The count has sought relentlessly for a lady who might be the return of his lost love. As ill fortune would have it, the fortunate female proves to be Mina (also Bleu, of course), the demure fiancee of the count’s timid estate manager, Jonathan Harker (played by Ewens Abid), who has recently been to the count’s castle to discuss his property portfolio and the tiny painting of the charming Mina attracted Dracula’s gaze.

Besson’s Direction and Humorous Style

Besson arranges Dracula’s middle-section history of international journeys in various outrageous costumes with a sure hand, and he is not above providing some comedy moments reminiscent of Mel Brooks – like Dracula’s ongoing failed efforts to commit suicide following Elisabeta’s passing, in addition to farcical scenes that occur when Dracula applies to himself using a particular scent during the 1700s in Florence, which causes him to be compelling to the opposite sex. Absurd yet engaging.

Dracula is available digitally starting December 1st and in disc format from December 22nd. It screens in Australian cinemas from 5 February 2026.