Dracula Movie Critique – Luc Besson’s Romantic Reinterpretation of the Gothic Classic is Absurd but Watchable

Perhaps interest is limited for an updated adaptation of Dracula from Luc Besson, the celebrated French director for stylish excess. However, it’s worth noting: his lavishly upholstered vampire romance has ambition and panache – and with its B-movie charm, it could be preferable to it to Robert Eggers’s recent, solemnly classy version of Nosferatu. Odd details emerge, such as a scene that appears to show a geographic divide between France and Romania.

Waltz as a Witty Yet Careworn Clergyman Hunting Vampires

Christoph Waltz plays a humorous yet burdened cleric fighting vampires – it feels natural for him to tackle such a part earlier – who arrives in Paris in 1889 for the French Revolution centenary celebrations. Likewise present is the sinister Dracula, enacted by the seasoned horror actor Caleb Landry Jones speaking in a twisted regional dialect evoking the voice of Gru by Steve Carell in the Despicable Me films. It’s a role suits him perfectly.

The Plot: A Saga of Heartbreak

Here’s the premise: the count has wandered endlessly the earth in anguish over four centuries since he became undead, a penalty for his faithless sorrow after the passing of his wife, Elisabeta (an inaugural screen appearance for Zoë Bleu, the offspring of Rosanna Arquette). The count has looked tirelessly for a lady who could be the reincarnation of his departed beloved. Unfortunately, the chosen woman turns out to be Mina (again played by Bleu), the reserved future wife of Dracula’s feeble property handler, Jonathan Harker (enacted by Ewens Abid), who has recently been to the vampire’s estate to discuss his land assets and the small picture of the charming Mina caught the count’s hooded eye.

Besson’s Direction and Lighthearted Touch

Besson structures Dracula’s flashback sequence of international journeys sporting extravagant attire confidently, and he doesn’t shy away from providing humorous scenes in the style of Mel Brooks – like the vampire’s constant unsuccessful tries to kill himself after Elisabeta’s death, as well as absurd moments that result after Dracula sprays himself in a certain perfume in historic Florence, which causes him to be irresistible to women. Absurd yet engaging.

Dracula is on digital platforms beginning on the first of December and for physical purchase from 22 December. It plays in Australian cinemas starting February 5, 2026.