Dracula Review – Besson’s Passionate Reinterpretation of the Gothic Classic is Outlandish but Entertaining

It’s possible there is no great enthusiasm for an updated adaptation of Dracula from Luc Besson, the French maestro for stylish excess. Still, one must admit: his lavishly upholstered romantic vampire tale boasts bold vision and flair – and amid its theatrical camp, it could be preferable compared with Robert Eggers’s recent, solemnly classy version of Nosferatu. There are some very bizarre touches, such as a scene that looks like it presents a geographic divide between France and Romania.

Waltz as a Humorously Exhausted Priest Tracking the Undead

Christoph Waltz portrays a humorous yet burdened cleric fighting vampires – it feels natural for him to tackle such a part earlier – who finds himself in Paris in 1889 for the French Revolution centenary celebrations. Likewise present is the malevolent vampire count, played by the expert in grotesque roles Caleb Landry Jones speaking in a twisted regional dialect similar to the voice of Gru by Steve Carell in the Despicable Me films. It’s a role that he too was born to take on.

The Narrative: A Saga of Heartbreak

Here’s the premise: the vampire lord has wandered endlessly the world in anguish for 400 years after his transformation into a vampire, a punishment due to his blasphemous mourning over the death of his beloved Elisabeta (a first film part for Zoë Bleu, Rosanna Arquette’s child). the vampire has looked tirelessly for some woman who would be the reincarnation of his deceased partner. Unfortunately, the chosen woman is revealed as Mina (portrayed once more by Bleu), the reserved future wife of Dracula’s feeble property handler, Jonathan Harker (enacted by Ewens Abid), who has recently been to Dracula’s fortress to review his land assets and the tiny painting of the lovely Mina caught the count’s hooded eye.

Besson’s Handling and Humorous Style

Besson arranges Dracula’s middle-section history of global roaming sporting extravagant attire confidently, and he willingly includes giving us funny bits in the style of Mel Brooks – for example the count’s repeated and futile attempts to end his own life post-Elisabeta’s demise, in addition to farcical scenes that occur when Dracula applies to himself with a specific fragrance during the 1700s in Florence, which makes him irresistible to women. Absurd yet engaging.

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