Dracula Movie Critique – Luc Besson’s Passionate Reinterpretation of the Gothic Classic is Ridiculous but Engaging

Maybe there is no great enthusiasm for a fresh take of Dracula from Luc Besson, the filmmaker known for glossiness and bloat. Still, it’s worth noting: his lavishly upholstered vampire romance boasts bold vision and flair – and amid its theatrical camp, it could be preferable to it to the recent, stately interpretation by Robert Eggers of Nosferatu. There are some very bizarre touches, such as a scene that seems to depict a territorial boundary between France and Romania.

Waltz as a Humorously Exhausted Clergyman Hunting Vampires

Christoph Waltz embodies a humorous yet burdened man of the church pursuing the undead – it feels natural for him to tackle this role before – who ends up in Paris in 1889 to mark the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. The same goes for the malevolent vampire count, played by the seasoned horror actor Caleb Landry Jones with a mangled central European accent reminiscent of Steve Carell’s Gru in the Despicable Me films. It’s a role he seemed destined to play.

The Plot: A Tale of Love and Loss

The story is this: the vampire lord has been restlessly roaming the earth in anguish over four centuries following his rise as one of the undead, 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 lady who would be the return of his lost love. As ill fortune would have it, the lucky lady turns out to be Mina (also Bleu, of course), the reserved future wife of Dracula’s wimpish land agent, Jonathan Harker (played by Ewens Abid), who just traveled to Dracula’s fortress to discuss his property portfolio and the small picture of the winsome Mina attracted Dracula’s gaze.

The Filmmaker’s Approach and Humorous Style

Besson structures Dracula’s middle-section history of international journeys wearing flamboyant outfits with a sure hand, and he is not above offering humorous scenes in the style of Mel Brooks – for example the vampire’s constant unsuccessful tries to commit suicide following Elisabeta’s passing, as well as absurd moments that follow Dracula applies to himself using a particular scent during the 1700s in Florence, which causes him to be compelling to the opposite sex. Absurd yet engaging.

Dracula can be streamed online beginning on the first of December and in disc format from 22 December. It plays in Australian cinemas starting February 5, 2026.