Dracula Movie Critique – Luc Besson’s Passionate Revamp of the Classic Horror Story is Ridiculous but Entertaining
Perhaps there is no great enthusiasm for a fresh take of Dracula from Luc Besson, the celebrated French director for glossiness and bloat. Still, it’s worth noting: his lavishly upholstered romantic vampire tale boasts bold vision and flair – and with its B-movie charm, I might just favor over Robert Eggers’s recent, solemnly classy version of Nosferatu. There are some very bizarre touches, like a particular moment that looks like it presents a territorial boundary between France and Romania.
The Veteran Actor as a Clever but Weary Clergyman Hunting Vampires
Christoph Waltz portrays a witty yet careworn vampire-hunting priest – it’s surprising he never took on this character previously – who finds himself in Paris in 1889 during the centennial of the French Revolution. So does the malevolent vampire count, played by the expert in grotesque roles Caleb Landry Jones with a mangled central European accent evoking Carell’s Gru character in the Despicable Me films. This is a part that he too was born to take on.
The Plot: A Tale of Love and Loss
The plot unfolds as follows: the count has traveled ceaselessly the earth in sorrow for 400 years following his rise as one of the undead, a consequence for his faithless sorrow following the loss of his wife, Elisabeta (a first film part for Zoë Bleu, Rosanna Arquette’s child). the vampire has sought relentlessly for a female who could be the return of his lost love. As ill fortune would have it, the chosen woman proves to be Mina (also Bleu, of course), the modest betrothed of Dracula’s feeble property handler, Jonathan Harker (played by Ewens Abid), who just traveled to the count’s castle to review his property portfolio and the tiny painting of the lovely Mina drew the vampire’s attention.
Besson’s Handling and Lighthearted Touch
Besson structures Dracula’s flashback sequence of global roaming wearing flamboyant outfits confidently, and he doesn’t shy away from offering some comedy moments with a distinctly Mel Brooks flavour – like the vampire’s constant unsuccessful tries to commit suicide after Elisabeta’s death, along with comical sequences that result after Dracula douses himself using a particular scent in 18th-century Florence, which makes him irresistible to women. Outlandish but entertaining.
Dracula can be streamed online from 1 December and in disc format from 22 December. It will be shown in Australian cinemas from 5 February 2026.