Dracula Review – Besson’s Passionate Reinterpretation of the Timeless Gothic Tale is Outlandish but Watchable

It’s possible interest is limited for a new version of Dracula from Luc Besson, the French maestro for glossiness and bloat. Still, one must admit: his lavishly upholstered romantic vampire tale boasts bold vision and flair – and in all its Hammer-y cheesiness, I’m not sure I wouldn’t prefer over Eggers’s dignified recent take 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 Humorously Exhausted Vampire-Hunting Priest

Christoph Waltz embodies a humorous yet burdened cleric fighting vampires – I can’t believe he hasn’t played this character previously – who ends up in Paris in 1889 during the centennial of the French Revolution. So does the evil Count Dracula, played by the expert in grotesque roles Caleb Landry Jones with a mangled central European accent reminiscent of 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 traveled ceaselessly the world in torment over four centuries after his transformation into a vampire, a consequence for his faithless sorrow after the passing of his wife, Elisabeta (a first film part for Zoë Bleu, daughter of Rosanna Arquette). The count has looked tirelessly for a lady who would be the return of his lost love. Unfortunately, the lucky lady is revealed as Mina (portrayed once more by Bleu), the modest betrothed of Dracula’s feeble property handler, Jonathan Harker (Ewens Abid), who has recently been to the count’s castle to negotiate his land assets and whose miniature portrait of the charming Mina drew the vampire’s attention.

Besson’s Handling and Humorous Style

Besson structures Dracula’s second-act backstory of global roaming in various outrageous costumes skillfully, and he doesn’t shy away from giving us some comedy moments reminiscent of Mel Brooks – such as the vampire’s constant unsuccessful tries to end his own life post-Elisabeta’s demise, in addition to comical sequences that occur when Dracula douses himself using a particular scent during the 1700s in Florence, which causes him to be compelling to the opposite sex. Ridiculous and watchable.

Dracula can be streamed online starting December 1st and in disc format starting the twenty-second of December. It will be shown in Australian cinemas beginning on the fifth of February, 2026.