Dracula Review – The French Director’s Passionate Revamp of the Gothic Classic is Outlandish but Entertaining

Maybe there is no great enthusiasm for a fresh take of Dracula from Luc Besson, the French maestro for stylish excess. And yet, it has to be said: his opulently crafted love story with vampires displays creativity and style – and in all its Hammer-y cheesiness, I’m not sure I wouldn’t prefer over the recent, stately interpretation by Robert Eggers of Nosferatu. There are some very bizarre touches, such as a scene that appears to show a territorial boundary between France and Romania.

The Veteran Actor as a Clever but Weary Vampire-Hunting Priest

Christoph Waltz embodies a witty yet careworn man of the church pursuing the undead – it’s surprising he never took on such a part earlier – who ends up in Paris in 1889 to mark the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. Likewise present is the malevolent vampire count, brought to life by the body-horror veteran Caleb Landry Jones with a mangled central European accent evoking the voice of Gru by Steve Carell of the Despicable Me series. It’s a role he seemed destined to play.

The Plot: A Chronicle of Longing

The plot unfolds as follows: the count has traveled ceaselessly the globe in torment for 400 years since he became undead, a penalty for his irreligious grief following the loss of his spouse Elisabeta (an inaugural screen appearance for Zoë Bleu, the offspring of Rosanna Arquette). the vampire has sought relentlessly for some woman who might be the reincarnation of his deceased partner. Unfortunately, the chosen woman turns out to be Mina (also Bleu, of course), the demure fiancee of Dracula’s wimpish land agent, Jonathan Harker (played by Ewens Abid), who lately visited to the count’s castle to discuss his real estate holdings and the tiny painting of the winsome Mina attracted Dracula’s gaze.

Besson’s Handling and Comic Flair

Besson organizes Dracula’s flashback sequence of international journeys sporting extravagant attire skillfully, and he doesn’t shy away from giving us some comedy moments in the style of Mel Brooks – such as Dracula’s ongoing failed efforts to end his own life after Elisabeta’s death, in addition to farcical scenes that follow Dracula douses himself in a certain perfume during the 1700s in Florence, that renders him unavoidably attractive to females. Absurd yet engaging.

Dracula is on digital platforms starting December 1st and in disc format from December 22nd. It plays in Australian cinemas from 5 February 2026.