Dracula Review – The French Director’s Romantic Reinterpretation of the Timeless Gothic Tale is Ridiculous but Engaging

Maybe there is no great enthusiasm for an updated adaptation of Dracula from Luc Besson, the filmmaker known for stylish excess. Still, it’s worth noting: his richly designed vampire romance has ambition and panache – and in all its Hammer-y cheesiness, it could be preferable to it to Eggers’s dignified recent take of Nosferatu. A few strange elements appear, like a particular moment that appears to show a geographic divide between France and Romania.

Christoph Waltz as a Humorously Exhausted Vampire-Hunting Priest

Christoph Waltz portrays a witty yet careworn vampire-hunting priest – it feels natural for him to tackle this character previously – who finds himself 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 reminiscent of Steve Carell’s Gru of the Despicable Me series. This character that he too was born to take on.

The Narrative: A Tale of Love and Loss

Here’s the premise: the count has been restlessly roaming the world in sorrow for 400 years since he became undead, a penalty for his irreligious grief over the death of his beloved Elisabeta (a first film part for Zoë Bleu, daughter of Rosanna Arquette). the vampire has looked tirelessly for a lady who would be the rebirth of his deceased partner. Unfortunately, the fortunate female proves to be Mina (portrayed once more by Bleu), the modest betrothed of Dracula’s feeble property handler, Jonathan Harker (enacted by Ewens Abid), who has recently been to the vampire’s estate to negotiate his land assets and the small picture of the winsome Mina attracted Dracula’s gaze.

The Filmmaker’s Approach and Lighthearted Touch

Besson structures Dracula’s middle-section history of global roaming in various outrageous costumes skillfully, and he doesn’t shy away from offering funny bits with a distinctly Mel Brooks flavour – for example the vampire’s constant unsuccessful tries to commit suicide following Elisabeta’s passing, along with absurd moments that occur when Dracula applies to himself using a particular scent in 18th-century Florence, that renders him irresistible to women. Outlandish but entertaining.

Dracula is on digital platforms from 1 December and on DVD and Blu-ray starting the twenty-second of December. It screens in Australian cinemas from 5 February 2026.