Dracula Review – The French Director’s Passionate Reimagining of the Timeless Gothic Tale is Ridiculous but Entertaining

Perhaps there is no great enthusiasm for an updated adaptation of Dracula from Luc Besson, the celebrated French director for glossiness and bloat. And yet, one must admit: his lavishly upholstered love story with vampires displays creativity and style – and in all its Hammer-y cheesiness, I’m not sure I wouldn’t prefer to it to the recent, stately interpretation by Robert Eggers of Nosferatu. A few strange elements appear, such as a scene that looks like it presents a geographic divide between France and Romania.

The Veteran Actor as a Humorously Exhausted Priest Tracking the Undead

Christoph Waltz portrays a humorous yet burdened vampire-hunting priest – I can’t believe he hasn’t played this character previously – who arrives in Paris in 1889 to mark the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. So does the evil Count Dracula, enacted by the expert in grotesque roles Caleb Landry Jones with a mangled central European accent similar to Steve Carell’s Gru in the Despicable Me films. It’s a role suits him perfectly.

The Narrative: A Saga of Heartbreak

Here’s the premise: Dracula has been restlessly roaming the world in anguish for 400 years since he became undead, a consequence for his faithless sorrow over the death of his wife, Elisabeta (a movie debut role for Zoë Bleu, daughter of Rosanna Arquette). The count has looked tirelessly for a female who might be the return of his departed beloved. Unfortunately, the lucky lady proves to be Mina (again played by Bleu), the reserved future wife of the count’s timid estate manager, Jonathan Harker (played by Ewens Abid), who lately visited to the vampire’s estate to discuss his property portfolio and the tiny painting of the charming Mina attracted Dracula’s gaze.

The Filmmaker’s Approach and Lighthearted Touch

Besson organizes Dracula’s second-act backstory of global roaming sporting extravagant attire confidently, and he doesn’t shy away from offering funny bits in the style of Mel Brooks – such as Dracula’s ongoing failed efforts to commit suicide post-Elisabeta’s demise, along with farcical scenes that result after Dracula applies to himself in a certain perfume in historic Florence, which makes him irresistible to women. Outlandish but entertaining.

Dracula can be streamed online from 1 December and for physical purchase from December 22nd. It plays in Australian cinemas beginning on the fifth of February, 2026.