Dracula Review – The French Director’s Love-Struck Revamp of the Timeless Gothic Tale is Outlandish but Watchable

Maybe audiences aren’t clamoring for a fresh take of Dracula from Luc Besson, the filmmaker known for stylish excess. And yet, it has to be said: his opulently crafted vampire romance boasts bold vision and flair – and amid its theatrical camp, I might just favor compared with the recent, stately interpretation by Robert Eggers of Nosferatu. There are some very bizarre touches, like a particular moment that appears to show a territorial boundary between France and Romania.

Waltz as a Witty Yet Careworn Vampire-Hunting Priest

Christoph Waltz embodies a humorous yet burdened man of the church pursuing the undead – it feels natural for him to tackle such a part earlier – who finds himself in Paris in 1889 to mark the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. Likewise present is the evil Count Dracula, brought to life by the body-horror veteran Caleb Landry Jones with a mangled central European accent evoking Steve Carell’s Gru in the Despicable Me films. This is a part suits him perfectly.

The Plot: A Saga of Heartbreak

Here’s the premise: Dracula has wandered endlessly the world in sorrow over four centuries since he became undead, a punishment for his faithless sorrow over the death of his spouse Elisabeta (an inaugural screen appearance for Zoë Bleu, Rosanna Arquette’s child). The count has sought relentlessly for a lady who might be the return of his deceased partner. By cruel fate, the lucky lady turns out to be Mina (portrayed once more by Bleu), the demure fiancee of Dracula’s feeble property handler, Jonathan Harker (enacted by Ewens Abid), who just traveled to the vampire’s estate to negotiate his property portfolio and whose miniature portrait of the lovely Mina caught the count’s hooded eye.

The Filmmaker’s Approach and Humorous Style

Besson organizes Dracula’s middle-section history of worldwide travels wearing flamboyant outfits with a sure hand, and he doesn’t shy away from providing funny bits in the style of Mel Brooks – like the count’s repeated and futile attempts to kill himself following Elisabeta’s passing, along with farcical scenes that occur when Dracula applies to himself with a specific fragrance in 18th-century Florence, that renders him unavoidably attractive to females. Ridiculous and watchable.

Dracula is on digital platforms beginning on the first of December and in disc format from December 22nd. It plays in Australian cinemas from 5 February 2026.