Dracula Review – Luc Besson’s Passionate Reimagining of the Gothic Classic is Outlandish but Entertaining
Maybe interest is limited for an updated adaptation of Dracula from Luc Besson, the filmmaker known for stylish excess. However, one must admit: his opulently crafted vampire romance has ambition and panache – and amid its theatrical camp, I might just favor to it to the recent, stately interpretation by Robert Eggers of Nosferatu. A few strange elements appear, such as a scene that seems to depict a land border between France and Romania.
Waltz as a Humorously Exhausted Clergyman Hunting Vampires
Christoph Waltz plays a witty yet careworn vampire-hunting priest – it’s surprising he never took on this role before – who finds himself in Paris in 1889 to mark the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. Likewise present is the sinister Dracula, brought to life by the expert in grotesque roles Caleb Landry Jones using a distorted Eastern European tone reminiscent of Steve Carell’s Gru in the Despicable Me films. This is a part suits him perfectly.
The Narrative: A Saga of Heartbreak
The plot unfolds as follows: the vampire lord has traveled ceaselessly the earth in torment over four centuries since he became undead, a punishment for his irreligious grief following the loss of his spouse Elisabeta (a first film part for Zoë Bleu, Rosanna Arquette’s child). Dracula has looked tirelessly for some woman who would be the reincarnation of his departed beloved. As ill fortune would have it, the fortunate female proves to be Mina (also Bleu, of course), the demure fiancee of the count’s timid estate manager, Jonathan Harker (Ewens Abid), who just traveled to Dracula’s fortress to negotiate his property portfolio and the tiny painting of the winsome Mina attracted Dracula’s gaze.
Besson’s Handling and Humorous Style
Besson organizes Dracula’s flashback sequence of worldwide travels sporting extravagant attire skillfully, and he willingly includes providing funny bits reminiscent of Mel Brooks – for example the count’s repeated and futile attempts to kill himself after Elisabeta’s death, along with comical sequences that occur when Dracula sprays himself using a particular scent in 18th-century Florence, which causes him to be unavoidably attractive to females. Outlandish but entertaining.
Dracula is available digitally beginning on the first of December and in disc format starting the twenty-second of December. It will be shown in Australian cinemas from 5 February 2026.
