Dracula Review – Luc Besson’s Romantic Reinterpretation of the Gothic Classic is Outlandish but Watchable

Maybe there is no great enthusiasm for an updated adaptation of Dracula from Luc Besson, the filmmaker known for polished extravagance. And yet, it’s worth noting: his richly designed love story with vampires has ambition and panache – and with its B-movie charm, I’m not sure I wouldn’t prefer over the recent, stately interpretation by Robert Eggers of Nosferatu. There are some very bizarre touches, including one shot that looks like it presents a geographic divide between France and Romania.

The Veteran Actor 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 finds himself in Paris in 1889 during the centennial of the French Revolution. Likewise present is the malevolent vampire count, brought to life by the seasoned horror actor Caleb Landry Jones with a mangled central European accent evoking Carell’s Gru character in the Despicable Me films. This is a part he seemed destined to play.

The Story: A Tale of Love and Loss

The plot unfolds as follows: the vampire lord has wandered endlessly the world in anguish for 400 years after his transformation into a vampire, a punishment due to his blasphemous mourning after the passing of his beloved Elisabeta (a first film part for Zoë Bleu, daughter of Rosanna Arquette). Dracula has sought relentlessly for some woman who might be the return of his departed beloved. By cruel fate, the lucky lady is revealed as 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 Dracula’s fortress to review his land assets and the tiny painting of the lovely Mina drew the vampire’s attention.

Besson’s Handling and Comic Flair

Besson structures Dracula’s second-act backstory of global roaming in various outrageous costumes skillfully, and he willingly includes giving us funny bits reminiscent of Mel Brooks – like the count’s repeated and futile attempts to end his own life following Elisabeta’s passing, as well as comical sequences that occur when Dracula douses himself with a specific fragrance during the 1700s in Florence, which makes him irresistible to women. Absurd yet engaging.

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