Dracula Movie Critique – Luc Besson’s Romantic Revamp of the Classic Horror Story is Absurd but Watchable
It’s possible there is no great enthusiasm for a fresh take of Dracula from Luc Besson, the celebrated French director for polished extravagance. However, it’s worth noting: his opulently crafted romantic vampire tale has ambition and panache – and in all its Hammer-y cheesiness, I’m not sure I wouldn’t prefer over Eggers’s dignified recent take of Nosferatu. There are some very bizarre touches, including one shot that appears to show a land border between France and Romania.
The Veteran Actor as a Clever but Weary Vampire-Hunting Priest
Christoph Waltz portrays a humorous yet burdened cleric fighting vampires – I can’t believe he hasn’t played such a part earlier – who finds himself in Paris in 1889 for the French Revolution centenary celebrations. Likewise present is the malevolent vampire count, enacted by the seasoned horror actor Caleb Landry Jones with a mangled central European accent similar to the voice of Gru by Steve Carell from the Despicable Me comedies. It’s a role suits him perfectly.
The Story: A Chronicle of Longing
Here’s the premise: Dracula has been restlessly roaming the earth in sorrow for 400 years following his rise as one of the undead, a penalty for his faithless sorrow following the loss of his beloved Elisabeta (a movie debut role for Zoë Bleu, the offspring of Rosanna Arquette). Dracula has sought relentlessly for a lady who might be the return of his deceased partner. As ill fortune would have it, the chosen woman proves to be Mina (also Bleu, of course), the reserved future wife of Dracula’s wimpish land agent, Jonathan Harker (played by Ewens Abid), who lately visited to the vampire’s estate to discuss his real estate holdings and the tiny painting of the lovely Mina caught the count’s hooded eye.
The Filmmaker’s Approach and Comic Flair
Besson structures Dracula’s second-act backstory of international journeys wearing flamboyant outfits with a sure hand, and he willingly includes giving us humorous scenes reminiscent of Mel Brooks – such as the vampire’s constant unsuccessful tries to commit suicide after Elisabeta’s death, along with farcical scenes that result after Dracula sprays himself using a particular scent in 18th-century Florence, which causes him to be irresistible to women. Ridiculous and watchable.
Dracula can be streamed online starting December 1st and on DVD and Blu-ray starting the twenty-second of December. It plays in Australian cinemas from 5 February 2026.
