Dracula Movie Critique – Besson’s Passionate Reimagining of the Classic Horror Story is Ridiculous but Entertaining

It’s possible there is no great enthusiasm for an updated adaptation of Dracula from Luc Besson, the celebrated French director for polished extravagance. And yet, it has to be said: his lavishly upholstered romantic vampire tale boasts bold vision and flair – and with its B-movie charm, I might just favor to it to Robert Eggers’s recent, solemnly classy version of Nosferatu. There are some very bizarre touches, including one shot that seems to depict a territorial boundary between France and Romania.

Christoph Waltz as a Clever but Weary Priest Tracking the Undead

Christoph Waltz portrays a witty yet careworn vampire-hunting priest – it’s surprising he never took on such a part earlier – who finds himself in Paris in 1889 to mark the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. Likewise present is the evil Count Dracula, enacted by the expert in grotesque roles Caleb Landry Jones with a mangled central European accent similar to Steve Carell’s Gru in the Despicable Me films. This character that he too was born to take on.

The Plot: A Tale of Love and Loss

The story is this: the count has wandered endlessly the globe in sorrow for hundreds of years following his rise as one of the undead, a penalty due to his blasphemous mourning over the death of his beloved Elisabeta (a movie debut role for Zoë Bleu, Rosanna Arquette’s child). Dracula has looked tirelessly for a female who might be the return of his deceased partner. Unfortunately, the fortunate female proves to be Mina (portrayed once more by Bleu), the reserved future wife of Dracula’s feeble property handler, Jonathan Harker (played by Ewens Abid), who just traveled to the count’s castle to negotiate his property portfolio and the small picture of the charming Mina caught the count’s hooded eye.

Besson’s Direction and Humorous Style

Besson structures Dracula’s second-act backstory of global roaming in various outrageous costumes with a sure hand, and he doesn’t shy away from offering funny bits in the style of Mel Brooks – such as the count’s repeated and futile attempts to end his own life following Elisabeta’s passing, as well as absurd moments that result after Dracula sprays himself in a certain perfume in historic Florence, that renders him compelling to the opposite sex. Absurd yet engaging.

Dracula is available digitally beginning on the first of December and on DVD and Blu-ray starting the twenty-second of December. It screens in Australian cinemas from 5 February 2026.