Dracula Review – Luc Besson’s Passionate Reinterpretation of the Timeless Gothic Tale is Absurd but Watchable
It’s possible audiences aren’t clamoring for a fresh take of Dracula from Luc Besson, the filmmaker known for polished extravagance. Still, one must admit: his lavishly upholstered vampire romance displays creativity and style – and in all its Hammer-y cheesiness, I might just favor to it to the recent, stately interpretation by Robert Eggers of Nosferatu. A few strange elements appear, such as a scene that appears to show a territorial boundary between France and Romania.
Waltz as a Humorously Exhausted Clergyman Hunting Vampires
Christoph Waltz portrays a clever but beleaguered vampire-hunting priest – it feels natural for him to tackle such a part earlier – who finds himself in Paris in 1889 to mark the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. Likewise present is the malevolent vampire count, enacted by the body-horror veteran Caleb Landry Jones with a mangled central European accent reminiscent of the voice of Gru by Steve Carell in the Despicable Me films. This is a part that he too was born to take on.
The Plot: A Saga of Heartbreak
The plot unfolds as follows: the count has wandered endlessly the earth in torment for hundreds of years since he became undead, a punishment for his irreligious grief following the loss of his spouse Elisabeta (an inaugural screen appearance for Zoë Bleu, the offspring of Rosanna Arquette). the vampire has been searching, searching, searching for some woman who could be the rebirth of his departed beloved. By cruel fate, the chosen woman turns out to be Mina (portrayed once more by Bleu), the modest betrothed of Dracula’s wimpish land agent, Jonathan Harker (Ewens Abid), who just traveled 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 Comic Flair
Besson arranges Dracula’s flashback sequence of international journeys in various outrageous costumes confidently, and he is not above offering some comedy moments in the style of Mel Brooks – for example the count’s repeated and futile attempts to kill himself following Elisabeta’s passing, along with farcical scenes that result after Dracula applies to himself using a particular scent in historic Florence, which causes him to be unavoidably attractive to females. Ridiculous and watchable.
Dracula is available digitally starting December 1st and in disc format starting the twenty-second of December. It plays in Australian cinemas beginning on the fifth of February, 2026.
