Dracula Review – Luc Besson’s Romantic Reinterpretation of the Timeless Gothic Tale is Outlandish but Engaging

Perhaps audiences aren’t clamoring for an updated adaptation of Dracula from Luc Besson, the celebrated French director for glossiness and bloat. And yet, one must admit: his opulently crafted romantic vampire tale has ambition and panache – and with its B-movie charm, it could be preferable over Eggers’s dignified recent take of Nosferatu. A few strange elements appear, such as a scene that seems to depict a land border between France and Romania.

Waltz as a Humorously Exhausted Clergyman Hunting Vampires

Christoph Waltz plays a humorous yet burdened vampire-hunting priest – it feels natural for him to tackle this role before – who ends up in Paris in 1889 to mark the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. So does the malevolent vampire count, played by the seasoned horror actor Caleb Landry Jones using a distorted Eastern European tone similar to the voice of Gru by Steve Carell of the Despicable Me series. This is a part that he too was born to take on.

The Plot: A Saga of Heartbreak

The story is this: the vampire lord has been restlessly roaming the world in sorrow over four centuries after his transformation into a vampire, a punishment for his faithless sorrow over the death of his wife, Elisabeta (a movie debut role for Zoë Bleu, daughter of Rosanna Arquette). The count has looked tirelessly for a female who could be the return of his deceased partner. Unfortunately, the fortunate female proves to be Mina (again played by Bleu), the reserved future wife of Dracula’s feeble property handler, Jonathan Harker (enacted by Ewens Abid), who lately visited to the count’s castle to review his property portfolio and the small picture of the lovely Mina caught the count’s hooded eye.

Besson’s Direction and Comic Flair

Besson structures Dracula’s middle-section history of international journeys sporting extravagant attire confidently, and he is not above providing funny bits in the style of Mel Brooks – for example the vampire’s constant unsuccessful tries to end his own life after Elisabeta’s death, as well as absurd moments that occur when Dracula applies to himself with a specific fragrance in 18th-century Florence, which makes him irresistible to women. Ridiculous and watchable.

Dracula is on digital platforms from 1 December and in disc format from 22 December. It screens in Australian cinemas starting February 5, 2026.