Dracula Movie Critique – The French Director’s Romantic Reinterpretation of the Gothic Classic is Absurd but Entertaining
It’s possible interest is limited for an updated adaptation of Dracula from Luc Besson, the filmmaker known for stylish excess. Still, it’s worth noting: his lavishly upholstered love story with vampires displays creativity and style – and amid its theatrical camp, I’m not sure I wouldn’t prefer compared with the recent, stately interpretation by Robert Eggers of Nosferatu. A few strange elements appear, like a particular moment that looks like it presents a geographic divide between France and Romania.
Christoph Waltz as a Witty Yet Careworn Priest Tracking the Undead
Christoph Waltz portrays a witty yet careworn man of the church pursuing the undead – it’s surprising he never took on this character previously – who ends up in Paris in 1889 during the centennial of the French Revolution. Likewise present is the evil Count Dracula, played by the seasoned horror actor Caleb Landry Jones using a distorted Eastern European tone similar to Carell’s Gru character in the Despicable Me films. This character suits him perfectly.
The Plot: A Tale of Love and Loss
The plot unfolds as follows: the vampire lord has traveled ceaselessly the world in anguish for 400 years after his transformation into a vampire, a consequence due to his blasphemous mourning over the death of his beloved Elisabeta (an inaugural screen appearance for Zoë Bleu, Rosanna Arquette’s child). The count has looked tirelessly for a lady who could be the rebirth of his lost love. As ill fortune would have it, the lucky lady is revealed as Mina (again played by Bleu), the reserved future wife of Dracula’s wimpish land agent, Jonathan Harker (Ewens Abid), who has recently been to the count’s castle to review his land assets and whose miniature portrait of the winsome Mina drew the vampire’s attention.
Besson’s Handling and Comic Flair
Besson arranges Dracula’s second-act backstory of worldwide travels in various outrageous costumes skillfully, and he doesn’t shy away from providing humorous scenes in the style of Mel Brooks – like the count’s repeated and futile attempts to end his own life after Elisabeta’s death, in addition to farcical scenes that occur when Dracula applies to himself with a specific fragrance in historic Florence, that renders him irresistible to women. Absurd yet engaging.
Dracula can be streamed online starting December 1st and in disc format from 22 December. It screens in Australian cinemas from 5 February 2026.
