Dracula Movie Critique – Besson’s Passionate Reimagining of the Timeless Gothic Tale is Absurd but Entertaining
Perhaps interest is limited for an updated adaptation of Dracula from Luc Besson, the celebrated French director for glossiness and bloat. And yet, it’s worth noting: his richly designed love story with vampires displays creativity and style – and in all its Hammer-y cheesiness, I might just favor compared with the recent, stately interpretation by Robert Eggers of Nosferatu. There are some very bizarre touches, such as a scene that appears to show a land border between France and Romania.
Christoph Waltz as a Witty Yet Careworn Priest Tracking the Undead
Christoph Waltz embodies a humorous yet burdened cleric fighting vampires – it’s surprising he never took on this character previously – who ends up in Paris in 1889 during the centennial of the French Revolution. So does the malevolent vampire count, played by the seasoned horror actor Caleb Landry Jones using a distorted Eastern European tone evoking the voice of Gru by Steve Carell of the Despicable Me series. This character suits him perfectly.
The Story: A Saga of Heartbreak
The story is this: Dracula has traveled ceaselessly the earth in sorrow over four centuries after his transformation into a vampire, a penalty for his irreligious grief following the loss of his wife, Elisabeta (an inaugural screen appearance for Zoë Bleu, daughter of Rosanna Arquette). Dracula has been searching, searching, searching for a lady who could be the return of his lost love. Unfortunately, the chosen woman proves to be Mina (also Bleu, of course), the modest betrothed of Dracula’s feeble property handler, Jonathan Harker (Ewens Abid), who lately visited to the vampire’s estate to review his land assets and the small picture of the winsome Mina attracted Dracula’s gaze.
Besson’s Handling and Lighthearted Touch
Besson arranges Dracula’s flashback sequence of global roaming wearing flamboyant outfits skillfully, and he willingly includes providing humorous scenes with a distinctly Mel Brooks flavour – such as the count’s repeated and futile attempts to commit suicide after Elisabeta’s death, as well as absurd moments that result after Dracula sprays himself with a specific fragrance during the 1700s in Florence, that renders him irresistible to women. Ridiculous and watchable.
Dracula is on digital platforms beginning on the first of December and on DVD and Blu-ray from 22 December. It screens in Australian cinemas beginning on the fifth of February, 2026.
