Dracula Review – The French Director’s Passionate Revamp of the Gothic Classic is Outlandish but Entertaining

Perhaps there is no great enthusiasm for an updated adaptation of Dracula from Luc Besson, the French maestro for stylish excess. And yet, it’s worth noting: his opulently crafted romantic vampire tale displays creativity and style – and amid its theatrical camp, I’m not sure I wouldn’t prefer over Eggers’s dignified recent take of Nosferatu. A few strange elements appear, including one shot that seems to depict a territorial boundary between France and Romania.

The Veteran Actor as a Clever but Weary Priest Tracking the Undead

Christoph Waltz embodies a witty yet careworn man of the church pursuing the undead – it feels natural for him to tackle this character previously – who finds himself in Paris in 1889 to mark the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. So does the malevolent vampire count, enacted by the body-horror veteran Caleb Landry Jones using a distorted Eastern European tone reminiscent of Carell’s Gru character of the Despicable Me series. This character he seemed destined to play.

The Plot: A Saga of Heartbreak

The plot unfolds as follows: the count has wandered endlessly the world in anguish for 400 years since he became undead, a consequence for his faithless sorrow following the loss of his wife, Elisabeta (an inaugural screen appearance for Zoë Bleu, daughter of Rosanna Arquette). the vampire has been searching, searching, searching for a female who could be the rebirth of his lost love. By cruel fate, the lucky lady is revealed as Mina (portrayed once more by Bleu), the modest betrothed of Dracula’s feeble property handler, Jonathan Harker (played by Ewens Abid), who has recently been to the vampire’s estate to review his real estate holdings and whose miniature portrait of the lovely Mina attracted Dracula’s gaze.

Besson’s Direction and Lighthearted Touch

Besson arranges Dracula’s flashback sequence of global roaming wearing flamboyant outfits skillfully, and he is not above offering funny bits in the style of Mel Brooks – such as the vampire’s constant unsuccessful tries to commit suicide post-Elisabeta’s demise, as well as comical sequences that occur when Dracula sprays himself in a certain perfume in historic Florence, that renders him irresistible to women. Absurd yet engaging.

Dracula is on digital platforms from 1 December and for physical purchase from December 22nd. It will be shown in Australian cinemas beginning on the fifth of February, 2026.