Dracula Review – The French Director’s Romantic Reinterpretation of the Timeless Gothic Tale is Absurd but Engaging

Perhaps there is no great enthusiasm for a new version of Dracula from Luc Besson, the French maestro for polished extravagance. And yet, one must admit: his richly designed romantic vampire tale boasts bold vision and flair – and with its B-movie charm, I’m not sure I wouldn’t prefer over the recent, stately interpretation by Robert Eggers of Nosferatu. There are some very bizarre touches, including one shot that looks like it presents a geographic divide between France and Romania.

Waltz as a Witty Yet Careworn Clergyman Hunting Vampires

Christoph Waltz portrays a witty yet careworn cleric fighting vampires – it feels natural for him to tackle this character previously – who arrives in Paris in 1889 during the centennial of the French Revolution. The same goes for the sinister Dracula, brought to life by the expert in grotesque roles Caleb Landry Jones speaking in a twisted regional dialect evoking Steve Carell’s Gru in the Despicable Me films. This character he seemed destined to play.

The Plot: A Saga of Heartbreak

Here’s the premise: the vampire lord has traveled ceaselessly the world in torment for 400 years after his transformation into a vampire, a punishment for his faithless sorrow over the death of his spouse Elisabeta (a movie debut role for Zoë Bleu, daughter of Rosanna Arquette). the vampire has sought relentlessly for a lady who would be the reincarnation of his deceased partner. By cruel fate, the chosen woman is revealed as Mina (portrayed once more by Bleu), the reserved future wife of Dracula’s feeble property handler, Jonathan Harker (enacted by Ewens Abid), who lately visited to Dracula’s fortress to review his real estate holdings and whose miniature portrait of the winsome Mina drew the vampire’s attention.

Besson’s Handling and Comic Flair

Besson arranges Dracula’s flashback sequence of international journeys wearing flamboyant outfits skillfully, and he willingly includes offering some comedy moments with a distinctly Mel Brooks flavour – like the count’s repeated and futile attempts to end his own life after Elisabeta’s death, along with absurd moments that occur when Dracula applies to himself in a certain perfume in historic Florence, that renders him compelling to the opposite sex. Ridiculous and watchable.

Dracula is on digital platforms beginning on the first of December and for physical purchase from 22 December. It screens in Australian cinemas beginning on the fifth of February, 2026.