Dracula Movie Critique – Luc Besson’s Love-Struck Reimagining of the Gothic Classic is Ridiculous but Entertaining
Perhaps there is no great enthusiasm for a new version of Dracula from Luc Besson, the filmmaker known for polished extravagance. And yet, one must admit: his opulently crafted vampire romance displays creativity and style – and in all its Hammer-y cheesiness, it could be preferable to it to the recent, stately interpretation by Robert Eggers of Nosferatu. Odd details emerge, such as a scene that appears to show a land border between France and Romania.
The Veteran Actor as a Witty Yet Careworn Clergyman Hunting Vampires
Christoph Waltz plays a clever but beleaguered man of the church pursuing the undead – I can’t believe he hasn’t played this character previously – who arrives in Paris in 1889 for the French Revolution centenary celebrations. So does the evil Count Dracula, played by the body-horror veteran Caleb Landry Jones using a distorted Eastern European tone reminiscent of Steve Carell’s Gru from the Despicable Me comedies. This is a part he seemed destined to play.
The Narrative: A Chronicle of Longing
The story is this: the vampire lord has been restlessly roaming the globe in sorrow over four centuries following his rise as one of the undead, a penalty due to his blasphemous mourning over the death of his beloved Elisabeta (a first film part for Zoë Bleu, the offspring of Rosanna Arquette). Dracula has looked tirelessly for some woman who might be the rebirth of his deceased partner. Unfortunately, the lucky lady is revealed as Mina (also Bleu, of course), the modest betrothed of Dracula’s wimpish land agent, Jonathan Harker (enacted by Ewens Abid), who has recently been to the count’s castle to review his property portfolio and whose miniature portrait of the charming Mina attracted Dracula’s gaze.
The Filmmaker’s Approach and Humorous Style
Besson structures Dracula’s middle-section history of worldwide travels wearing flamboyant outfits skillfully, and he doesn’t shy away from giving us some comedy moments with a distinctly Mel Brooks flavour – such as the count’s repeated and futile attempts to end his own life following Elisabeta’s passing, in addition to comical sequences that follow Dracula douses himself in a certain perfume during the 1700s in Florence, which makes him unavoidably attractive to females. Outlandish but entertaining.
Dracula can be streamed online from 1 December and for physical purchase starting the twenty-second of December. It screens in Australian cinemas starting February 5, 2026.
