Dracula Movie Critique – Luc Besson’s Passionate Reinterpretation of the Gothic Classic is Outlandish but Watchable
It’s possible audiences aren’t clamoring for a new version of Dracula from Luc Besson, the French maestro for glossiness and bloat. And yet, it has to be said: his lavishly upholstered love story with vampires boasts bold vision and flair – and with its B-movie charm, I’m not sure I wouldn’t prefer compared with Eggers’s dignified recent take of Nosferatu. Odd details emerge, including one shot that looks like it presents a land border between France and Romania.
Waltz as a Clever but Weary Vampire-Hunting Priest
Christoph Waltz portrays a witty yet careworn man of the church pursuing the undead – it’s surprising he never took on this role before – who ends up in Paris in 1889 to mark the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. Likewise present is the malevolent vampire count, enacted by the expert in grotesque roles Caleb Landry Jones using a distorted Eastern European tone evoking Carell’s Gru character from the Despicable Me comedies. It’s a role he seemed destined to play.
The Story: A Saga of Heartbreak
The plot unfolds as follows: the count has traveled ceaselessly the globe in anguish over four centuries after his transformation into a vampire, a penalty due to his blasphemous mourning over the death of his wife, Elisabeta (a first film part for Zoë Bleu, daughter of Rosanna Arquette). Dracula has sought relentlessly for some woman who would be the return of his deceased partner. Unfortunately, the lucky lady turns out to be Mina (again played by Bleu), the demure fiancee of the count’s timid estate manager, Jonathan Harker (Ewens Abid), who just traveled to the count’s castle to review his real estate holdings and the tiny painting of the lovely Mina caught the count’s hooded eye.
Besson’s Handling and Lighthearted Touch
Besson structures Dracula’s second-act backstory of global roaming wearing flamboyant outfits with a sure hand, and he willingly includes providing funny bits reminiscent of Mel Brooks – such as Dracula’s ongoing failed efforts to commit suicide after Elisabeta’s death, in addition to absurd moments that occur when Dracula douses himself with a specific fragrance during the 1700s in Florence, which makes him compelling to the opposite sex. Absurd yet engaging.
Dracula can be streamed online starting December 1st and on DVD and Blu-ray starting the twenty-second of December. It plays in Australian cinemas starting February 5, 2026.
