Dracula Review – Luc Besson’s Romantic Reimagining of the Timeless Gothic Tale is Ridiculous but Entertaining

It’s possible audiences aren’t clamoring for an updated adaptation of Dracula from Luc Besson, the French maestro for glossiness and bloat. And yet, one must admit: his richly designed vampire romance boasts bold vision and flair – and in all its Hammer-y cheesiness, I’m not sure I wouldn’t prefer over Eggers’s dignified recent take of Nosferatu. A few strange elements appear, like a particular moment that looks like it presents a land border between France and Romania.

Waltz as a Witty Yet Careworn Vampire-Hunting Priest

Christoph Waltz portrays a humorous yet burdened man of the church pursuing the undead – it’s surprising he never took on such a part earlier – who arrives in Paris in 1889 for the French Revolution centenary celebrations. So does the malevolent vampire count, enacted by the seasoned horror actor Caleb Landry Jones using a distorted Eastern European tone reminiscent of Carell’s Gru character of the Despicable Me series. It’s a role he seemed destined to play.

The Story: A Tale of Love and Loss

The story is this: the vampire lord has been restlessly roaming the globe in sorrow over four centuries since he became undead, a penalty due to his blasphemous mourning over the death of his beloved Elisabeta (an inaugural screen appearance for Zoë Bleu, the offspring of Rosanna Arquette). Dracula has looked tirelessly for some woman who would be the rebirth of his departed beloved. By cruel fate, the lucky lady is revealed as Mina (portrayed once more by Bleu), the reserved future wife of the count’s timid estate manager, Jonathan Harker (played by Ewens Abid), who just traveled to the count’s castle to discuss his land assets and the tiny painting of the winsome Mina caught the count’s hooded eye.

Besson’s Handling and Humorous Style

Besson structures Dracula’s second-act backstory of international journeys sporting extravagant attire skillfully, and he willingly includes providing humorous scenes with a distinctly Mel Brooks flavour – for example the count’s repeated and futile attempts to kill himself post-Elisabeta’s demise, as well as comical sequences that occur when Dracula douses himself in a certain perfume in 18th-century Florence, which causes him to be unavoidably attractive to females. Absurd yet engaging.

Dracula is available digitally from 1 December and in disc format from 22 December. It screens in Australian cinemas from 5 February 2026.