Dracula Movie Critique – The French Director’s Love-Struck Reimagining of the Gothic Classic is Outlandish but Engaging

Perhaps there is no great enthusiasm for an updated adaptation of Dracula from Luc Besson, the celebrated French director for stylish excess. Still, it has to be said: his lavishly upholstered romantic vampire tale displays creativity and style – and amid its theatrical camp, I might just favor over Robert Eggers’s recent, solemnly classy version of Nosferatu. There are some very bizarre touches, including one shot that looks like it presents a land border between France and Romania.

Waltz as a Witty Yet Careworn Vampire-Hunting Priest

Christoph Waltz embodies a witty yet careworn cleric fighting vampires – it feels natural for him to tackle such a part earlier – who finds himself in Paris in 1889 during the centennial of the French Revolution. Likewise present is the sinister Dracula, played by the seasoned horror actor Caleb Landry Jones speaking in a twisted regional dialect evoking Carell’s Gru character in the Despicable Me films. It’s a role that he too was born to take on.

The Story: A Tale of Love and Loss

Here’s the premise: the vampire lord has traveled ceaselessly the globe in torment over four centuries after his transformation into a vampire, a penalty due to his blasphemous mourning after the passing of his spouse Elisabeta (an inaugural screen appearance for Zoë Bleu, Rosanna Arquette’s child). The count has sought relentlessly for some woman who could be the rebirth of his departed beloved. Unfortunately, the lucky lady proves to be Mina (again played by Bleu), the demure fiancee of Dracula’s feeble property handler, Jonathan Harker (enacted by Ewens Abid), who just traveled to Dracula’s fortress to review his property portfolio and the tiny painting of the charming Mina drew the vampire’s attention.

Besson’s Handling and Humorous Style

Besson organizes Dracula’s second-act backstory of international journeys in various outrageous costumes skillfully, and he is not above offering humorous scenes with a distinctly Mel Brooks flavour – for example the vampire’s constant unsuccessful tries to end his own life following Elisabeta’s passing, as well as farcical scenes that occur when Dracula applies to himself with a specific fragrance during the 1700s in Florence, which makes him irresistible to women. Outlandish but entertaining.

Dracula is on digital platforms starting December 1st and for physical purchase starting the twenty-second of December. It plays in Australian cinemas from 5 February 2026.