Dracula Review – Luc Besson’s Passionate Reimagining of the Gothic Classic is Ridiculous but Entertaining

Maybe interest is limited for an updated adaptation of Dracula from Luc Besson, the celebrated French director for polished extravagance. However, it’s worth noting: his opulently crafted love story with vampires has ambition and panache – and in all its Hammer-y cheesiness, I might just favor over the recent, stately interpretation by Robert Eggers of Nosferatu. Odd details emerge, such as a scene that seems to depict a geographic divide between France and Romania.

The Veteran Actor as a Clever but Weary Clergyman Hunting Vampires

Christoph Waltz embodies a clever but beleaguered vampire-hunting priest – it’s surprising he never took on this character previously – who arrives in Paris in 1889 during the centennial of the French Revolution. The same goes for the malevolent vampire count, brought to life by the expert in grotesque roles Caleb Landry Jones speaking in a twisted regional dialect similar to Steve Carell’s Gru in the Despicable Me films. It’s a role suits him perfectly.

The Story: A Saga of Heartbreak

Here’s the premise: the count has traveled ceaselessly the world in anguish for hundreds of years since he became undead, a penalty for his irreligious grief following the loss of his wife, Elisabeta (an inaugural screen appearance for Zoë Bleu, daughter of Rosanna Arquette). the vampire has looked tirelessly for some woman who would be the rebirth of his deceased partner. As ill fortune would have it, the lucky lady turns out to be Mina (portrayed once more by Bleu), the modest betrothed of the count’s timid estate manager, Jonathan Harker (Ewens Abid), who just traveled to the count’s castle to negotiate his land assets and the small picture of the charming Mina attracted Dracula’s gaze.

Besson’s Direction and Comic Flair

Besson structures Dracula’s middle-section history of global roaming in various outrageous costumes skillfully, and he doesn’t shy away from providing some comedy moments reminiscent of Mel Brooks – such as the vampire’s constant unsuccessful tries to commit suicide post-Elisabeta’s demise, in addition to farcical scenes that follow Dracula sprays himself using a particular scent in 18th-century Florence, which causes him to be irresistible to women. Ridiculous and watchable.

Dracula is on digital platforms from 1 December and on DVD and Blu-ray from 22 December. It plays in Australian cinemas from 5 February 2026.