Dracula Review – Luc Besson’s Love-Struck Revamp of the Gothic Classic is Outlandish but Entertaining

Maybe there is no great enthusiasm for an updated adaptation of Dracula from Luc Besson, the celebrated French director for glossiness and bloat. However, it has to be said: his opulently crafted love story with vampires boasts bold vision and flair – 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.

Waltz as a Humorously Exhausted Priest Tracking the Undead

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 during the centennial of the French Revolution. Likewise present is the sinister Dracula, brought to life by the seasoned horror actor Caleb Landry Jones using a distorted Eastern European tone reminiscent of the voice of Gru by Steve Carell of the Despicable Me series. This is a part he seemed destined to play.

The Story: A Tale of Love and Loss

The plot unfolds as follows: Dracula has traveled ceaselessly the globe in torment for 400 years following his rise as one of the undead, a punishment for his irreligious grief following the loss of his beloved Elisabeta (an inaugural screen appearance for Zoë Bleu, Rosanna Arquette’s child). Dracula has been searching, searching, searching for a lady who would be the rebirth of his deceased partner. Unfortunately, the chosen woman is revealed as Mina (again played by Bleu), the demure fiancee of Dracula’s wimpish land agent, Jonathan Harker (played by Ewens Abid), who lately visited to the vampire’s estate to review his real estate holdings and the tiny painting of the lovely Mina caught the count’s hooded eye.

Besson’s Direction and Humorous Style

Besson structures Dracula’s middle-section history of worldwide travels wearing flamboyant outfits with a sure hand, and he doesn’t shy away from offering humorous scenes in the style of Mel Brooks – for example the vampire’s constant unsuccessful tries to commit suicide following Elisabeta’s passing, along with farcical scenes that occur when Dracula douses himself using a particular scent in 18th-century Florence, which causes him to be irresistible to women. Outlandish but entertaining.

Dracula is available digitally starting December 1st and for physical purchase from December 22nd. It will be shown in Australian cinemas beginning on the fifth of February, 2026.