Dracula Review – The French Director’s Passionate Reinterpretation of the Timeless Gothic Tale is Outlandish but Watchable

Perhaps audiences aren’t clamoring for an updated adaptation of Dracula from Luc Besson, the French maestro for stylish excess. However, it’s worth noting: his opulently crafted romantic vampire tale boasts bold vision and flair – and amid its theatrical camp, it could be preferable over the recent, stately interpretation by Robert Eggers of Nosferatu. Odd details emerge, like a particular moment that appears to show a land border between France and Romania.

The Veteran Actor as a Clever but Weary Clergyman Hunting Vampires

Christoph Waltz embodies a humorous yet burdened vampire-hunting priest – I can’t believe he hasn’t played this character previously – who ends up in Paris in 1889 to mark the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. Likewise present is the sinister Dracula, brought to life by the seasoned horror actor Caleb Landry Jones with a mangled central European accent similar to the voice of Gru by Steve Carell in the Despicable Me films. This is a part suits him perfectly.

The Story: A Saga of Heartbreak

The plot unfolds as follows: the count has traveled ceaselessly the globe in anguish for hundreds of years following his rise as one of the undead, a consequence for his irreligious grief after the passing of his wife, Elisabeta (an inaugural screen appearance for Zoë Bleu, Rosanna Arquette’s child). Dracula has been searching, searching, searching for a lady who might be the rebirth of his departed beloved. By cruel fate, the lucky lady is revealed as Mina (also Bleu, of course), the demure fiancee of Dracula’s feeble property handler, Jonathan Harker (enacted by Ewens Abid), who lately visited to the count’s castle to discuss his property portfolio and whose miniature portrait of the winsome Mina caught the count’s hooded eye.

Besson’s Direction and Comic Flair

Besson arranges Dracula’s middle-section history of worldwide travels sporting extravagant attire confidently, and he doesn’t shy away from giving us funny bits reminiscent of Mel Brooks – such as the vampire’s constant unsuccessful tries to end his own life following Elisabeta’s passing, along with comical sequences that occur when Dracula sprays himself with a specific fragrance in historic Florence, which causes him to be compelling to the opposite sex. Ridiculous and watchable.

Dracula is available digitally starting December 1st and on DVD and Blu-ray from December 22nd. It plays in Australian cinemas from 5 February 2026.