Dracula Movie Critique – The French Director’s Passionate Reinterpretation of the Classic Horror Story is Absurd but Watchable
Perhaps interest is limited for a fresh take of Dracula from Luc Besson, the filmmaker known for glossiness and bloat. And yet, it’s worth noting: his opulently crafted vampire romance has ambition and panache – and with its B-movie charm, it could be preferable over Eggers’s dignified recent take of Nosferatu. Odd details emerge, such as a scene that seems to depict a land border between France and Romania.
The Veteran Actor as a Witty Yet Careworn Priest Tracking the Undead
Christoph Waltz plays a clever but beleaguered cleric fighting vampires – it feels natural for him to tackle such a part earlier – who ends up in Paris in 1889 during the centennial of the French Revolution. So does the sinister Dracula, played by the seasoned horror actor Caleb Landry Jones using a distorted Eastern European tone similar to Carell’s Gru character of the Despicable Me series. This character that he too was born to take on.
The Story: A Chronicle of Longing
The plot unfolds as follows: the count has traveled ceaselessly the world in torment for hundreds of years after his transformation into a vampire, a consequence for his faithless sorrow following the loss of his spouse Elisabeta (an inaugural screen appearance for Zoë Bleu, Rosanna Arquette’s child). The count has looked tirelessly for a female who would be the reincarnation of his departed beloved. Unfortunately, the fortunate female proves to be Mina (again played by Bleu), the demure fiancee of the count’s timid estate manager, Jonathan Harker (enacted by Ewens Abid), who just traveled to the vampire’s estate to discuss his property portfolio and the tiny painting of the lovely Mina caught the count’s hooded eye.
The Filmmaker’s Approach and Comic Flair
Besson arranges Dracula’s flashback sequence of international journeys in various outrageous costumes with a sure hand, and he willingly includes offering funny bits with a distinctly Mel Brooks flavour – for example the count’s repeated and futile attempts to kill himself following Elisabeta’s passing, in addition to farcical scenes that result after Dracula applies to himself in a certain perfume during the 1700s in Florence, which makes him irresistible to women. Outlandish but entertaining.
Dracula is on digital platforms from 1 December and for physical purchase from 22 December. It screens in Australian cinemas starting February 5, 2026.