Dracula Review – Luc Besson’s Love-Struck Revamp of the Classic Horror Story is Ridiculous but Engaging
Perhaps interest is limited for a fresh take of Dracula from Luc Besson, the French maestro for glossiness and bloat. Still, it’s worth noting: his opulently crafted romantic vampire tale boasts bold vision and flair – and amid its theatrical camp, I’m not sure I wouldn’t prefer compared with the recent, stately interpretation by Robert Eggers of Nosferatu. There are some very bizarre touches, including one shot that looks like it presents a territorial boundary between France and Romania.
Christoph Waltz as a Clever but Weary Vampire-Hunting Priest
Christoph Waltz plays a clever but beleaguered man of the church pursuing the undead – I can’t believe he hasn’t played this role before – who finds himself in Paris in 1889 for the French Revolution centenary celebrations. So does the evil Count Dracula, enacted by the body-horror veteran Caleb Landry Jones with a mangled central European accent similar to Steve Carell’s Gru from the Despicable Me comedies. This is a part suits him perfectly.
The Story: A Tale of Love and Loss
The plot unfolds as follows: the vampire lord has traveled ceaselessly the earth in torment over four centuries since he became undead, a penalty due to his blasphemous mourning over the death of his wife, Elisabeta (a movie debut role for Zoë Bleu, Rosanna Arquette’s child). the vampire has sought relentlessly for a female who might be the return of his departed beloved. As ill fortune would have it, the chosen woman is revealed as Mina (again played by Bleu), the demure fiancee of Dracula’s wimpish land agent, Jonathan Harker (enacted by Ewens Abid), who has recently been to the vampire’s estate to discuss his land assets and the tiny painting of the winsome Mina drew the vampire’s attention.
Besson’s Handling and Comic Flair
Besson organizes Dracula’s second-act backstory of global roaming in various outrageous costumes confidently, and he is not above giving us funny bits with a distinctly Mel Brooks flavour – like the count’s repeated and futile attempts to end his own life following Elisabeta’s passing, along with absurd moments that result after Dracula sprays himself using a particular scent in historic Florence, which makes him irresistible to women. Outlandish but entertaining.
Dracula can be streamed online from 1 December and on DVD and Blu-ray from December 22nd. It plays in Australian cinemas beginning on the fifth of February, 2026.
