Dracula Review – The French Director’s Love-Struck Reinterpretation of the Classic Horror Story is Outlandish but Engaging
Maybe there is no great enthusiasm for a fresh take of Dracula from Luc Besson, the French maestro for stylish excess. Still, one must admit: his opulently crafted vampire romance boasts bold vision and flair – and with its B-movie charm, I’m not sure I wouldn’t prefer compared with the recent, stately interpretation by Robert Eggers of Nosferatu. A few strange elements appear, including one shot that seems to depict a land border between France and Romania.
Christoph Waltz as a Humorously Exhausted Vampire-Hunting Priest
Christoph Waltz plays a witty yet careworn vampire-hunting priest – I can’t believe he hasn’t played such a part earlier – who arrives in Paris in 1889 to mark the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. So does the sinister Dracula, brought to life by the expert in grotesque roles Caleb Landry Jones using a distorted Eastern European tone evoking Steve Carell’s Gru in the Despicable Me films. This character suits him perfectly.
The Story: A Chronicle of Longing
The story is this: the count has been restlessly roaming the earth in sorrow over four centuries after his transformation into a vampire, a consequence for his faithless sorrow following the loss of his wife, Elisabeta (a first film part for Zoë Bleu, daughter of Rosanna Arquette). Dracula has sought relentlessly for a lady who might be the reincarnation of his departed beloved. As ill fortune would have it, the fortunate female turns out to be Mina (again played by Bleu), the reserved future wife of the count’s timid estate manager, Jonathan Harker (played by Ewens Abid), who has recently been to the count’s castle to discuss his real estate holdings and the tiny painting of the lovely Mina attracted Dracula’s gaze.
Besson’s Direction and Comic Flair
Besson structures Dracula’s second-act backstory of international journeys in various outrageous costumes skillfully, and he is not above providing some comedy moments with a distinctly Mel Brooks flavour – for example the vampire’s constant unsuccessful tries to commit suicide following Elisabeta’s passing, as well as farcical scenes that result after Dracula applies to himself with a specific fragrance in historic Florence, which makes him unavoidably attractive to females. Outlandish but entertaining.
Dracula is available digitally from 1 December and in disc format from December 22nd. It screens in Australian cinemas starting February 5, 2026.
