Dracula Movie Critique – Besson’s Love-Struck Revamp of the Gothic Classic is Absurd but Watchable

Perhaps interest is limited for a new version of Dracula from Luc Besson, the celebrated French director for stylish excess. However, it has to be said: his opulently crafted vampire romance boasts bold vision and flair – and in all its Hammer-y cheesiness, it could be preferable compared with the recent, stately interpretation by Robert Eggers of Nosferatu. There are some very bizarre touches, like a particular moment that seems to depict a land border between France and Romania.

Waltz as a Clever but Weary Priest Tracking the Undead

Christoph Waltz portrays a witty yet careworn man of the church pursuing the undead – it feels natural for him to tackle this character previously – who arrives in Paris in 1889 for the French Revolution centenary celebrations. The same goes for the evil Count Dracula, played by the body-horror veteran Caleb Landry Jones with a mangled central European accent evoking Steve Carell’s Gru from the Despicable Me comedies. This is a part he seemed destined to play.

The Plot: A Saga of Heartbreak

The story is this: the vampire lord has wandered endlessly the globe in anguish for hundreds of years after his transformation into a vampire, a penalty due to his blasphemous mourning after the passing of his wife, Elisabeta (an inaugural screen appearance for Zoë Bleu, Rosanna Arquette’s child). The count has sought relentlessly for a female who might be the return of his deceased partner. By cruel fate, the lucky lady proves to be Mina (again played by Bleu), the reserved future wife of Dracula’s wimpish land agent, Jonathan Harker (enacted by Ewens Abid), who just traveled to the count’s castle to review his real estate holdings and the tiny painting of the lovely Mina attracted Dracula’s gaze.

Besson’s Handling and Lighthearted Touch

Besson arranges Dracula’s flashback sequence of worldwide travels sporting extravagant attire confidently, 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 kill himself after Elisabeta’s death, along with absurd moments that result after Dracula sprays himself with a specific fragrance during the 1700s in Florence, which makes him unavoidably attractive to females. Ridiculous and watchable.

Dracula is on digital platforms beginning on the first of December and in disc format starting the twenty-second of December. It plays in Australian cinemas from 5 February 2026.