Dracula Review – Luc Besson’s Romantic Reinterpretation of the Gothic Classic is Outlandish but Entertaining

It’s possible interest is limited for an updated adaptation of Dracula from Luc Besson, the filmmaker known for polished extravagance. However, one must admit: his richly designed vampire romance displays creativity and style – and amid its theatrical camp, it could be preferable compared with the recent, stately interpretation by Robert Eggers of Nosferatu. A few strange elements appear, like a particular moment that appears to show a territorial boundary between France and Romania.

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 character previously – who finds himself in Paris in 1889 for the French Revolution centenary celebrations. So does the evil Count Dracula, brought to life by the seasoned horror actor Caleb Landry Jones using a distorted Eastern European tone similar to Steve Carell’s Gru in the Despicable Me films. This character suits him perfectly.

The Story: A Tale of Love and Loss

The story is this: the vampire lord has wandered endlessly the world in torment over four centuries after his transformation into a vampire, a penalty for his irreligious grief after the passing of his beloved Elisabeta (a movie debut role for Zoë Bleu, the offspring of Rosanna Arquette). The count has sought relentlessly for a lady who might be the return of his deceased partner. By cruel fate, the fortunate female is revealed as Mina (also Bleu, of course), the demure fiancee of the count’s timid estate manager, Jonathan Harker (enacted by Ewens Abid), who lately visited to the count’s castle to discuss his property portfolio and the tiny painting of the lovely Mina caught the count’s hooded eye.

The Filmmaker’s Approach and Comic Flair

Besson arranges Dracula’s second-act backstory of global roaming wearing flamboyant outfits with a sure hand, and he doesn’t shy away from providing funny bits with a distinctly Mel Brooks flavour – like Dracula’s ongoing failed efforts to commit suicide post-Elisabeta’s demise, as well as absurd moments that result after Dracula douses himself in a certain perfume in historic Florence, that renders him compelling to the opposite sex. Absurd yet engaging.

Dracula is available digitally from 1 December and for physical purchase starting the twenty-second of December. It screens in Australian cinemas from 5 February 2026.