Dracula Movie Critique – Besson’s Passionate Revamp of the Timeless Gothic Tale is Outlandish but Watchable
Maybe interest is limited for an updated adaptation of Dracula from Luc Besson, the French maestro for stylish excess. And yet, it has to be said: his richly designed romantic vampire tale displays creativity and style – and with its B-movie charm, I’m not sure I wouldn’t prefer compared with Robert Eggers’s recent, solemnly classy version of Nosferatu. There are some very bizarre touches, including one shot that appears to show a geographic divide between France and Romania.
Christoph Waltz as a Humorously Exhausted Priest Tracking the Undead
Christoph Waltz portrays a clever but beleaguered vampire-hunting priest – it’s surprising he never took on such a part earlier – who ends up in Paris in 1889 during the centennial of the French Revolution. The same goes for the evil Count Dracula, played by the body-horror veteran Caleb Landry Jones with a mangled central European accent evoking Carell’s Gru character from the Despicable Me comedies. It’s a role he seemed destined to play.
The Plot: A Saga of Heartbreak
The plot unfolds as follows: Dracula has traveled ceaselessly the world in sorrow for 400 years after his transformation into a vampire, a penalty due to his blasphemous mourning after the passing of his beloved Elisabeta (a movie debut role for Zoë Bleu, Rosanna Arquette’s child). Dracula has sought relentlessly for a female who could be the return of his lost love. By cruel fate, the fortunate female is revealed as Mina (again played by Bleu), the reserved future wife of Dracula’s wimpish land agent, Jonathan Harker (played by Ewens Abid), who lately visited to the vampire’s estate to negotiate his property portfolio and the tiny painting of the winsome Mina caught the count’s hooded eye.
Besson’s Handling and Comic Flair
Besson structures Dracula’s flashback sequence of international journeys sporting extravagant attire with a sure hand, and he is not above offering funny bits reminiscent of Mel Brooks – such as the count’s repeated and futile attempts to commit suicide following Elisabeta’s passing, along with absurd moments that result after Dracula applies to himself using a particular scent in 18th-century Florence, that renders him irresistible to women. Outlandish but entertaining.
Dracula is on digital platforms starting December 1st and for physical purchase from December 22nd. It plays in Australian cinemas starting February 5, 2026.
